


I Dream Of Running Man

by BinguRani



Category: Running Man RPF, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2018-08-22 14:43:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 50,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8289512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BinguRani/pseuds/BinguRani
Summary: Ivy is a well known YouTuber popular for her Vlogs and Challenge videos. She has been invited to Korea to be on the first episode of Running Man to include Internet Celebrities and she plans to make it memorable in hopes of being able to stay in Korea permenantly. But how can she do that when her fangirl side is so strong? That is what made her famous in the first place but can she keep her composure for long enough to actually make it through the challenges? The Special Guests are ones to be reckoned with and she may not be the right girl for the job when she finds out who her team mate for the mission is.





	1. Welcome To Running Man

“Alright, just come in and sit down and make yourself comfortable,” The PDnim led Ivy into a modest two story house just on the outskirts of Seoul. She could hardly contain her excitement even with the massive case of jet lag she was still overcoming. She couldn’t believe that she was actually here. Ivy had dreamed about this for years! She had been trying to make her way to South Korea for what felt like forever and now she was finally here! Not only that, she had been invited to be a guest on Running Man. How cool was that? Six months ago she had gotten a call that the show wanted to do a special episode with YouTuber’s since they were beginning to gain a massive following and she was one of the lucky ones to be noticed! Six years of Korean lessons were finally starting to pay off as she was now able to be fully immersed in the culture and speaking the language. 

 As she sat down on the sectional facing away from the door she shot the PDnim a bight, gummy smile, waiting for them to give her some more information about what the day was going to look like. Ivy found that she wasn’t the only YouTuber that was going to be joining and had simply been told she was the only vlogger/challenger that had been selected. She hadn’t been told how many other YouTuber’s would be there either but she was promised that she would find out before the actual filming began.

 “Arrasseo. So, as you know, we are going to be adding YouTuber’s to this episode but we decided to only go for two. We chose you and one other. He should be arriving shortly but before he gets here I have to ask you one thing. How do you think you would do translating?” Ivy’s face fell into a dramatic cringe.

 “I don’t really think I’d be any good honestly. I’d have to think in both Korean and in English and I think I would really just end up offending someone honestly,” Ivy’s answer was broken by her laugh. It was both a nervous habit and because she was just that bubbly. Apparently that’s what had gained her so many subscribers.

 “Alright, well the other YouTuber is a Let’s Player by the username of Markiplier. I don’t know if you’re familiar with him but he agreed but did state that he can’t speak Korean,” The PDnim rubbed his temples as if in exasperation before looking up and noticing Ivy’s shocked expression. He was pretty sure if her eyes got any wider they would fly out of her skull. “Gwenchana?”

 “Ne. I’m actually a really big Markiplier fan. I have this pink mustache tattoo because of him actually,” The PDnim just gave her a strange look as she continued to chuckle. Before he had any more time to explain though, the door behind Ivy opened and another PDnim entered followed by none other than Markiplier himself. Upon noticing the PDnim looking over her shoulder Ivy turned around in her seat in the corner of the sectional and felt her jaw drop. She could not believe that this was really happening to her! She was meeting Markiplier and she was going to be on Running Man and she was in Korea. How did this ever happen to her?

 Ivy brought her hand up to cover her mouth before turning back around swiftly. All she could do at this point was try her damnedest to not Teapot Squeal at him. Ivy saw Markiplier come around the sectional to sit himself with a seat separating them. He turned and looked at her as she looked back finally able to somewhat calm herself down, though she couldn’t wipe the massive smile off her face.

 “ _Hi, I’m Markiplier_!” He reached out his hand for her to shake and on instinct Ivy gripped her hand around his and bowed her head slightly.

 “Annyeonghaseyo. BinguIvy-ibnida,” She fell into her normal video opening without even really thinking about it though, in all honesty, it was a normal greeting had he been speaking Korean to her.

 “ _Oh yeah! I know you! I subscribed to your channel a couple months back actually! Your vlogs are pretty funny. I mean, I know I’m the absolute greatest when it comes to YouTube but yours were up to par,”_ Markiplier ended his sentence in his playful grumble that let Ivy know that he was only joking with her. They both chuckled at his joke and she couldn’t help but feel like she had finally met someone who could probably be considered as giggly as she was.

 “Omo… Omo omo omo! Jinja?  _You subscribed to my channel? I can’t believe that! I’m a huge fan of yours actually. I really enjoy everything you put out. I have to admit though your scary games are probably my favorite,”_ The room filled with the sound of the two laughing and the PDnim just chuckled along happy to see that there was no animosity between the guests. Things just worked out better on the show this way.

  _“Is it just me or do I see a pink mustache on your arm?”_ Ivy blushed a deep crimson and nodded. She knew it wasn’t weird for him to notice she was wearing a tank top after all and it was on her left forearm.

  _“Yeah it is. It is actually a warfstache though,”_ Ivy giggled and rubbed her hand over the tattoo lovingly. It was one of her favorites. “ _I actually got it because when I went through a really hard time a few years back and your videos helped remind me how to laugh and be happy. I got it right after your live stream for the Depression and Bipolar Disorder.”_

  _“Wow. That’s really awesome! I don’t think I’ve ever actually met someone with a tattoo inspired by me before,”_ Markiplier chuckled and smiled brightly at her.

 “ _Alright, well as you guys know this is Running Man. We’re going to be expecting some more guests soon but they aren’t YouTuber’s like you two. We wanted to basically give you guys a trial run with someone we know will still pull in ratings. No offense. We just want to see how the audience will respond,”_ Ivy and Mark both nodded at the PDnim who was beginning to give them their information that was promised. “ _We’re going to be playing some pretty standard games, so if you’ve seen Running Man before you’ve probably seen them played at least once. When everyone is here we’re going to pair everyone off into couple teams and then you’ll be on your way. All of the other necessary information will be given to you as you play. Sound good?”_

 Ivy and Mark both nodded vigorously as the PDnim stood up and headed towards the door letting them know to relax and that he would be back with the others as soon as they arrived. Mark and Ivy settled in with no honest idea as to how long they would be waiting. 

 “ _Do you know anything about who we’re going to be co-guesting with? Aren’t you generally up on all things Kpop?”_  Mark wiggled his eyebrows at Ivy, making her almost choke on her water that she had been sipping. She knew he was funny but he was much funnier when you could see all of the movements he made along with his jokes.

  _“Yeah I am the go to for Kpop for a lot of people but unfortunately that’s not how Running Man works. I know just as much as you do and that’s not very much if I’m perfectly honest,”_ Ivy was finding it hard not to fangirl as Mark floofed his hair (for power) while giving an exaggerated thinking face.

  _“Well maybe we should form a team then. We could take over all the ranks of the Running Men!”_  Mark was being over the top just like he was on his channel and honestly Ivy couldn’t have been happier. They say not to meet your heroes because you’ll be disappointed but Markiplier was anything but a disappointment.

  _“Yeah I don’t think we should do that till we find out what we’re competing for because I WILL WIN! I will stop at NOTHING TO GRASP THE GOLDEN PRIZE AT THE END!”_ Ivy felt herself beginning to loosen up and fall into her normal and yet oh so strange self. She was honestly very happy that Mark was so easy to talk to. She had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to give a good show if the other YouTuber had been difficult for her to get along with. This was something she really wanted to be good at.

 Just as the two dissolved into a giggle and chuckle fit that sounded almost eerily similar the front door opened and the other guests had arrived. Ivy turned her head only to have her heart stop and eyes widen with her jaw going slack. There were seven people she had never even dreamed she would have ever been able to meet. They were walking into the living room and Ivy turned to look at Mark to see if he could register who it was. No way could he not know them. To her surprise he was looking at her with a large question mark seemingly etched into his expression. Ivy was at a complete loss for words and there was no way she would be able to explain anytime soon.

Finally the PDnim stepped into the room and began motioning for the boys to take their seats. Apparently formalities could wait and honestly Ivy was thankful for the moment to breathe and take it all in. The PDnim stood in front of all nine people who were currently sitting on either couches or the floor and began speaking.

"As you know this is Running Man. Today's filming is just a bit different since there are so many of you. We're going to be splitting everyone into teams of two. The teams themselves will be determined when filming starts. As we're trying to push focus more towards the YouTubers to see the results that we get, we ask that you bear with us in the manner in which the games will be played. This is also the largest number of people that we have had compete at one time so we're going to start with two teams and eliminate teams within that team before the final round. The final round will be an every couple for themselves round. We just wanted to give you a heads up since this is going to be a very stressful process if we are all being honest," The PDnim again rubbed his temples as if he was already trying to stave off a migraine. "I'll leave you now to get to know each other. The filming will start in an hour and that's when we'll set it up for you all to enter."

With that the PDnim left and the seven guys stood up, some needing some prodding by their elders but eventually making it up with smiles plastered across their gorgeous faces. As they lined up all Ivy could think is that this couldn't be real. There was no possible way she had gotten this lucky. No possible chance. She watched the boys form what almost resembled two lines before looking to their leader in the center for their cue.

"Annyeonghaseyo. Bang... Tan. Bangtan Sonyeondan ibnida," The boys bowed and Ivy felt like she would never be able to breathe correctly again. Bangtan Sonyeondan. Bangtan Boys. BTS. They were greeting her. She was in the presence of her absolute favorite band. How? Just how did this happen to her of all people.


	2. The Fangirl Will Out

" _Hello. Nice to meet you we are BTS,"_ RapMon translated to English. Ivy figured it must have been that he either knew of the two YouTubers in front of him or he just figured that, being as she was the whitest woman known to man, she didn't speak Korean.

"Annyeonghaseyo. BinguIvy-ibnida. It's nice to meet you all," Ivy's voice was soft and very slow. She couldn't figure out if she had managed to reign in her expression or not but her voice definitely gave away the shock she was still feeling.

" _Hi! I'm Markiplier! Nice to meet ya!_ " Mark gave all the boys a wave and simply smiled at them.

"Wait... You speak Korean?" Taehyung looked over and pointed at Ivy with an astounded look that rivaled her own.

"Ne. I've been learning for six years but this is my first time actually being able to use it to hold full conversations with people. I only really got to use it when I did my videos in Korean for a while so I might not be that amazing. Jeoleul hwag-inhasigi balabnida!" Ivy bowed her head in the direction of the boys not bothering to fully bow since she knew for a fact that she was older than all of them.

" _You English speak only?"_ J-Hope had to have the cutest look of disbelief and humor on his face. It made Ivy want to pout at how much of a ball of sunshine he really was.

" _Yeah I only speak English. I know I'm a horrible person!"_ Mark dissolved into light chuckles at the jab he made at himself.

"Well this is backwards as shit," Ivy made a point to not look in Yoongi's directions when he spoke. She wasn't sure that she would be able to avoid needing a Teapot Emoji when she told this story later if she did. She did notice the general consensus that this was a very strange thing for the asian YouTuber in the room to not be the one who knew Korean by the bobbing of the younger boys' heads. Seokjin on the other hand swatted Yoongi's shoulder and shot him a look.

"Don't mind him. I'm sure he'd just rather be asleep right now," Jin smiled at the two that were sitting on the couch. 

And that was it. Ivy couldn't handle anymore at that moment. If she didn't move now she would probably pass out from lack of oxygen to her brain and she didn't necessarily want that to be her first impression on the seven boys. She stood up swiftly and whispered a quick excuse me before moving around the coffee table and heading to the kitchen. She searched all the cabinets until she found one that had some cups in it and pulled one down to get herself a drink of water. She really needed to calm down and she had no idea how to do that at the moment so water it was. She soon realized that from her spot in the kitchen she could hear Mark talking to RapMon and she was quick to wonder what the hell had started their conversation because it had apparently landed on the subject of her. All Ivy could do was hope and pray that Mark hadn't watched all of her videos. Especially not the Kpop ones. Yeah, she was a fangirl and she knew that it wasn't a big deal to bias a group or member but she didn't think she would be up to the embarrassment that would follow if Mark mentioned it.

" _Oh yeah from what I've seen on her channel she loves you guys. Especially... ooo... Which one was it again? Hmm..."_ Of course he knew. Son of a bitch. Ivy finished chugging her water and ran back practically leaping on top of Mark's lap putting her hand over his mouth.

" _I swear to god, Markimoo, if you try to finish that sentence I'm going for your name tag with everything I've got,"_ Mark raised his hands in surrender and Ivy moved back away from him. She heard a few of the boys giggling and felt her cheeks begin to flare up. Well this would definitely qualify to be on the top five moments that she really wished hadn't happened in her life.

" _What's so wrong with having a bias? You talk about it all the time!"_ Mark made a huffy face at her while crossing his arms.

" _Well I highly doubt that any of them have seen my videos and this is not exactly the way I would like to reveal that. Actually I'm pretty sure now I'd rather them never know,"_ Ivy sat back down in the corner of the sectional trying to not meet any of the boys eyes.

" _I'm with him, what difference does it make?"_  Dammit. She had forgotten that RapMon spoke English. How had she forgotten that? Before she could say anything in response though Mark loudly clapped his hands together.

" _Oh that's right! It's Suga! I'm right, aren't I?"_  Mark looked at Ivy with a huge smile on his face like he was expecting her to be impressed. Honestly, she kind of was but she was much more over taken by the embarassement of him just yelling that out for the world to hear as if they couldn't understand their own stage names. Ivy hit her forehead on reflex when she heard the sharp loud laugh that Yoongi let out before he turned to the rest of the members.

"Ha! Suck it!" Yoongi proceeded to flip off the members while doing what Ivy could only assume was a victory dance. She couldn't help but laugh. This was all too much. Once she started laughing she went into unadulterated cackles at how ridiculous this all was. She couldn't have written this any better.

"Yeah, hyung. I think you got the weird fangirl," Through the tears forming in her eyes, Ivy saw Jungkook giving her look that felt like he was questioning her sanity.

"Yah! Jeon Jungkook! I'm not crazy! Well maybe a little bit. Or a lot but its the good kind!" Ivy was finally starting to get her breathing back under control as she heard the members start to giggle and she felt most of the awkwardness leaving her. If the situation was going to be ridiculous like this then maybe she was going to be okay around them after all. 

Once the tension had been mostly released by the crazy fangirl moment Ivy had, the boys sat down and started to get comfortable and talk amoungst themselves before filming started. Ivy noticed that Mark had moved over to the smaller love seat in the room to talk to RapMon, which honestly didn't surprise her. If she wasn't going to be his partner then RapMon was almost guarunteed to be. She grinned at how animated their conversation was beginning to get and Ivy could only assume they were talking about video games.

"So... I'm your bias, huh?" Ivy looked to her left to see that Yoongi had laid across two of the seats on the sectional with his head near her lap and his feet hangin over the arm.

" _Yup~_ " Ivy popped the p very dramatically and saw Yoongi smirk.

"I actually like your videos. I can't understand but like four of them but you're pretty funny to listen to," Wait. Did Min Yoongi just admit to having watched her videos? How in the world had he ever found them to begin with? When did he even have time? "I stumbled across one a few months back. It was one of the first videos to pop up to our name."

"Ah... Yeah I never thought you guys would see them," Cue Ivy's nervous laughter. She was dying.

"Well I don't think the other guys have but I watch them every now and then," Yoongi shrugged and smirked again. He was really enjoying watching her squirm. It was just so easy.

"I figured that surely you guys would get absolutely sick of hearing fangirls go on and on about you during all the shows and fan events that you do," Ivy really was trying not to laugh but she couldn't help it, it just kept bubbling out of her at the worst possible times. Like half way through her sentence.

"Yeah but you're not really like the fangirls at the events. You're not asking us to do something to make you laugh or fawn over us. You try to make everyone else laugh. I admire that actually. The fact that you can make people laugh so easily. Besides I mainly watched your challenge videos," Ivy laughed hard at this. Did he not realize how often he made his fans laugh? Suga Logic was legitimately a thing and everyone who liked BTS knew that. He was just so naturally hilarious.

"Are you kidding me? Have you never watched the videos people have edited together of you? You make people laugh all the time! I can't believe you'd admire me for something you do much better!" Ivy kept laughing and it made Yoongi laugh with her. He liked her laugh it was one of the things that had made him keep watching her videos. It was just so infectious.

"I think you underestimate yourself. That helium karaoke video that you sang Boy in Luv? That's the funniest thing I've seen in a long time," Yoongi chuckled and moved to sit up straight in the seat next to her.

"Omo! You got hyung to actually move! How'd you do that?" Yoongi swiftly sent a smack into the back of Jimin's head for his remark.

"I didn't do anything. He did that all on his own," Yoongi sent Ivy a sarcastic look. "What?! You did!"

The room was suddenly filled with the members laughter and Yoongi simply let out a scoff before crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch. Ivy looked around the room and took everything in. From Jungkook's shy bunny smile when he caught her eyes to J-Hope almost bouncing out of his seat across the room. It was everything she had ever hoped being around these boys would be.

"Alright. We're going to start the filming soon so we need you to be ready at the door for us. We're going to introduce BinguIvy and Markiplier first so be ready," The sudden voice from the PDnim made Ivy jump full off the couch and land almost in Yoongi's lap. She hadn't expected for the PDnim to be so close to her. When had he gotten there?

"You know if you wanted to sit in my lap all you had to do was ask," Ivy jumped again this time landing full on the floor. Yoongi had whispered that into her ear. So close that she almost felt his lips move against her earlobe. Yoongi laughed and stood offering his hand to Ivy. She took it looking down at her feet as she stood. She knew her face had to be cherry red from all the heat she felt pooled in her cheeks. She gave Yoongi a nod of her head in thanks and immediately turned around and walked over to the door to be able to hear when they were called for. Mark stood not too far behind and she figured that RapMon must have translated for him. It didn't take too long for them to hear the Running Man members screaming for them to come out and when they did Ivy opened the door and headed towards the street where she could see the cameras all set up. When she got within range for the members to see her she heard all the men in the group start cheering. They must not have had a female guest in a while but boy were they not going to be happy when they saw who else was coming. It made Ivy giggle behind her hand imagining their faces.

"Annyeonghaseyo! BinguIvy ibnida!" Ivy bowed low to the cast and the cameras as Markiplier joined her.

" _Hi I'm Markiplier! Nice to meet you!"_  The cast sent him some confused looks. Apparently no one was expecting this.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Yeah I know it may feel like that was a bit rushed but hopefully it was still enjoyable. As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	3. Teaming Up

Ivy couldn't help but giggle as the PDnim explained to the cast that her and Markiplier were YouTuber's that were fairly famous and that Mark didn't know Korean. The look on Lee Kwang Soo's face was priceless and when he turned his gaze to them Ivy had to drop into a crouch she was laughing so hard. How did this guy always manage to be the traitor? Didn't you have to be at least a little less dim witted than this? Before too long Ivy straightened herself out and bowed to the cast one more time. Suddenly she felt her hands being grabbed and herself being pulled forward. Looking up to find out who it was showed that it was Kim Jong Kook who was looking at the other cast like he was already in full tiger mode.

"I'm on her team!" Jong Kook proclaimed this quite loudly then looked down to Ivy and said in a much gentler tone with a large smile on his face, "You can call me Oppa."

Ivy couldn't help it she started laughing again. By the end of the day she was sure that she was going to have a six pack from how much laughing she had done. She bobbed her head up and down in acknowledgement of the statement since she couldn't stop laughing long enough to form words. 

"Jong Kook, you know it'd be better if you had two team mates. Then you'd be able to protect her better," HaHa had walked to Ivy's other side, since Jong Kook had protectively placed an arm around her shoulder as if the other members would try to physically remove her from him, and tried to put his arm around her other shoulder. All it took was a stern gaze from Mr. Capable for HaHa to drop his arm and back away.

" _Well I just feel unappreciated!"_ Mark crossed his arms and stamped his foot which made Ji Hyo giggle at him.

"Yah! Markimoo! Gwenchana!  _It's alright!"_  Ivy managed to detach herself from Jong Kook's side and make her way over to Mark who was now giggling like a school girl. Jong Kook was never more than a few feet from her.

" _As long as you appreciate me I guess it's fine!"_  Mark gave her shoulder a light tap and then giggled towards the camera full shy girl pose and all. Ivy laughed along with the rest of the cast. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she thought.

"Well we have some more guests so when your ready go on and call them out." The PDnim was looking towards the cast members with a knowing smile. Suddenly, HaHa, Jae Suk, Suk Jin, and Kwangsoo were all raving about how it'd be a girl group for sure and that they wanted one of their own. Ivy could only guess that they were referring to the way Jong Kook was acting.

"Nawajusibsio!" The cast screamed all together and the door to the house opened though the bushes and flowers around the front walkway kept the boys obscured until they reached the sidewalk. When the male members saw that it was BTS they all started groaning and huddling up to pretend to cry over their loss. 

"Haha! I win!" Kim Jong Kook threw his free fist into the air laughing in an almost malicious way. Ivy simply laughed along with him knowing that there was going to be some sort of catch that came after the boys introduced themselves officially. Once their greeting was out of the way, Ivy was proven right.

"We will be choosing teams in a fairly simple method. You will play rock, paper, scissors with the BTS member that mirrors your age position in the group starting with the oldest. The winner will choose their partner first and then the next pair will play and it will continue until there are two full teams. The winners of paper, rock, scissors will be one team while the losers will make up the other team," The PDnim then had the cast and BTS members line up and start the game. 

First was Jin and Suk Jin. Surprisingly, Jin won after two rounds and his pick for a partner? Kim Jong Kook. If looks could kill Jin would be six feet under and cemented in. Jong Kook walked over to the now shaking and nervously laughing Jin and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, slapping his back almost harder than was necessary. Everyone cracked up at the level of Jong Kook's anger. It was a bit overkill but he did previously state that he wanted to be on Ivy's team. Suk Jin picked Jimin who happily went and wrapped Suk Jin in a huge hug. 

Next was Suga and Jae Suk. Ivy about Teapot Squealed when Suga fell to his knees after losing. It was just way too funny to watch. Jae Suk took his time considering and almost chose Mark but then remembered the language barrier and swiftly picked J-Hope who danced his way over to the side with Jong Kook and Jin. Jae Suk attempted a motion like the Yoo-Lee cross but it seemed that J-Hope couldn't figure out what to do or just flat out refused to do it right. Suga got his pick next and his answer was immediate and the PDnim had barely finished asking him who his choice was before he said Ivy's name.

As soon as Ivy's name left his lips, Jong Kook had crossed over to where Suga was standing trying to make himself seem bigger than he already was. Though Suga being the same height simply smirked and shrugged at him.

"Yah! I called being on her team! Now you're gonna separate us!?" Jong Kook was smiling but it seemed more challenging than anything.

"Well I am her bias after all. It only makes sense," He did not just say that while cameras were rolling. Min Yoongi really just said that? Was he trying to make her die from embarassment? It was fine when she said it on camera but that was strictly to her audience and not a whole bunch of people who hadn't ever heard about her before! Reflexively the palm of Ivy's hand connected with her forehead.

"Omo.... Shut up Yoongi-ah," Ivy grabbed his arm and began to drag him away from Jong Kook when she heard the other men yell out.

"Omo! Did you hear that!? They're already close! They might take the Monday Couple title away from you Gary!" HaHa was by far the loudest of the group and now she regretted her words.

"I've only been speaking Korean for six years! Cut me a break, please HaHa-ssi!" Ivy turned and was rubbing her hands together in front of her face while looking at HaHa before Yoongi grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side smirking over at Jong Kook.

"It's alright Noona! I like hearing you say my name," Yup. Min Yoongi was trying to kill her. She was going to have a heart attack. Was it normal for those simple words to make your heart race this fast? Ivy was pretty sure this was not a normal reaction. Why was he doing this to her?

"Yah! You better watch out Suga I'm coming for you!" Jong Kook sent him the international symbol for 'I've got my eyes on you' with a fierce stare. Ivy had seen an episode of Running Man with BTS and she was pretty sure that Yoongi had cowered before that stare before but he didn't show one sign of backing down now. What in the world was going on?

Not too much later they continued with the game and it was RapMon vs. Gary. RapMon took the win after one throw and decided to choose Mark. No real surprise there. Had he not they probably would have had to rearrange a bit to make up for the language barrier. Mark skipped excitedly over to RapMon and linked arms with him pulling out his most effemenant voice and pose.

" _Well big boy looks like we've got some tough competition_ ," RapMon laughed and it crinkled his whole face. It looked like he was questioning his life choices for a minute but soon seemed to recover and move, with Mark still skipping, over to the side with the other winners. Meanwhile Gary mulled over who to choose.

"Kookie-ah" The maknae bounced his way over to Gary, looking every inch the bunny his smile led you to believe he was. Gary and Jungkook fist bumped and made explosion noises when pulling away before Gary put an arm around the young ones shoulders and led him to the losers side.

HaHa was up against Taehyung and this was going to be the last match. It went on for a while with HaHa taunting V to the best of his ability and for what it seemed, it paid off. V lost and HaHa screamed out in joy immediately calling out Ji Hyo's name just happy to not be stuck with Kwang Soo. It was honestly one of the most off the wall things that had happened so far. V simply shrugged and said he was going to choose Kwang Soo anyways and that he was happy he got to be with his friends. V bounded over to the losers side and hugged into Ivy's side that wasn't still connected to Suga, nuzzling his cheek on her shoulder as Yoongi's hand had somehow managed to make it to her waist.

"See! Who's really the winner HaHa-hyung? I get to be on BinguIvy's team!" V shot his trademark rectangular smile at HaHa who immediately fell to the ground on his knees.

"Why was I so happy? Andwae!" HaHa dramatically pulled at the collar of his shirt as if he was going to rip it before stopping abruptly and standing back up. "I really like this shirt it's not worth it. You win this time V."

"Now that the teams are decided you're going to each be assigned a van that will take you to your next destination for the first real mission. Remember that who you chose as a partner is who ou have to complete these tasks with on your team. At the end of the first mission one team will be safe and will decide which pair on the losing team will be unable to participate in the final mission. Good luck!" The PDnim sent us on our way to the vans that had just pulled up. One was white and one was black. The losing side had been placed in the black while the winners had been placed in the white. Everyone hurried into their respective vans and were off in less than 5 minutes.

"Suga when did you get so brave? Going up against Mr. Capable like that isn't something most would have done. I wouldn't have," Gary chuckled looking over at Yoongi who was making sure that Ivy sat in the window seat with his arm still around her waist as he took the aisle seat.

"Well nothing's that frightening when you're fighting for the right reasons," Suga smirked and Gary howled with laughter. 

"You must really like BinguIvy-ssi then! What about you BinguIvy-ssi?" Suk Jin turned to face her from his seat in front of her.

"Well he was right he is my bias. And how about just calling me Ivy? You don't need to be so formal with me I'm still much younger than you!" Suk Jin hit the back of the seats in front of him in shock of how blunt she was. She could feel Yoongi laughing more than she could hear it because the entire van decided to go crazy at that comment.

"I'm not that much older than you! Ivy-yah!" Suk Jin finally regained his composure and tried to retaliate.

"Well I was born on 91.01.01. So you are a lot older than me. You're only about ten years younger than my parents, Suk Jin-sunbaenim," Again he recoiled from shock and the van was almost in tears.

"Yah! Just call me Oppa you brat!" Finally giving up on regaining his dignity he turned around to stroke his bruised ego.

"See Noona. This is what I mean. You make people laugh so easily," With a few chuckles Yoongi whispered into Ivy's ear again making her face turn red almost instantly.

How was she going to survive this day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N And yet another! I'm on a roll with this one guys! I actually really like this one because it's really fast paced and easy to figure out what to write. As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	4. The First Two Missions

The vans pulled up to the Han River and the sun was just overhead so it couldn't have been very much after noon. The heat was appalling and that was coming from Ivy who lived in North Carolina all her life and the summers there were usually horrid but this felt even worse for some reason. As the groups finally made it to the pools where the landmark was they noticed two floating balance beams in the larger rectangular pool. Oh boy, Ivy could only imagine what they were going to be doing. Unsurprisingly she was spot on.

Both groups were handed a mission card that told them they were going to have a relay race. Two of the couples would wait on either side of the pool and then would have to piggyback across to the other side on the floating balance beams. There was no time limit but the first ones to finish would be declared the winners and be safe and decide which team would be eliminated. If any of the couples fell in the relay had to start again. This was going to be interesting.

Slowly everyone took their positions. The black team was set up to have Suk Jin and Jimin go first, followed by Kwang Soo and V, then Gary and Kookie, and lastly Ivy and Suga. The white team had set themselves to have RapMon and Markiplier go first, then HaHa and Ji Hyo, then Jae Suk and J-Hope and lastly Jin and Jong Kook. All the couples were discussing their strategy with the exception of Suga and Ivy. Ivy was not exactly fond of this because to be honest she wasn't sure that Suga could even hold her in a piggy back let along balance. His legs were just so so skinny. He refused to talk about it though and finally Ivy gave up.

"Fine but if we're the ones who fall off you're getting on my back and that's all there is to it. I'm pretty sure you weigh like 4 or 5 kilograms less than me anyways. If we lose it's your fault!" Ivy crossed her arms and looked away from him only to see Jong Kook looking at her with a confident smile.

"Don't worry I'm going to kick his ass," He really needed to stop whispering in her ear it was killing her. Yoongi just smirked and put his arm around her waist pulling her to him and she saw Jong Kook's eyes go deadly serious. Did Yoongi not realize he was poking the sleeping beast that was Mr. Capable? Surely he had to, why else would he do it?

Soon all of the couples were in place and the PDs blew the whistle to start. Suk Jin was riding on Jimin's back and they were making pretty decent time especially considering that on the other beam Mark looked like he was having trouble with the balancing act and was moving pretty slowly. Finally Suk Jin and Jimin made it across to tap Kwang Soo and V who looked absolutely ridiculous. V was carrying Kwang Soo and despite only being 6" shorter V looked like he was carrying the Jolly Green Giant on his back, though they still made surprisingly good time, tapping Gary and Kookie in while HaHa and Jihyo were about a three quarters of the way across. When Kookie started it was amazing to watch he ran holding Gary like it was just a regular sprint until he was about half way and almost lost his footing causing him to have to pause for long enough that Jae Suk who was carrying J-Hope caught up to them and past them before Jae Suk fell off the edge and they had to start over. Kookie finally found his footing and continued on at a more steady and slow pace making sure to not slip. When Ivy and Suga were tapped in the white team was already back on HaHa and Ji Hyo who were looking really unsteady this time. HaHa must have been losing strength. Suga with Ivy on his back had much less balance than he thought he had. He was almost half way there when he misstepped and landed the two of them straight into the pool. They quickly swam to the other side of the pool to get out and as soon as their butts touched the concrete Suk Jin and Jimin started again. The race was neck and neck now with everyone wanting to take a more safe approach to avoid falling off again and by the time it came back around to Ivy and Suga, Jong Kook and Jin were getting ready to set off too. Ivy bent down telling Suga to get on her back and he begrudingly obliged. Once Kwang Soo tapped Suga's outstretched hand Ivy ran as fast as she could. Jong Kook was hot on her heels but he soon felt his footing slip and had to slow down. Ivy on the other hand had ridiculously perfect form. She attributed it to all the years she had been in dance and marching band. Knowing where your center of gravity is and how to run on precarious surfaces was just the tip of the iceberg for learning to march a tuba. She crossed the line and immediately dropped Yoongi to his feet before jumping up and down screaming. They had won! Even with Suk Jin on their team! Suga pulled Ivy into a hug and she returned it breifly before pulling back and looking into his face. 

"Next time you should listen to me before you just assume you know best," And with that statement she pushed Yoongi backwards to fall into the pool. The entirety of the cast, crew, and guest stood with shocked faces for a moment before beginning to laugh their heads off. This wasn't a first betrayal but it was a first betrayal after a mission was completed. At least in this manner.

Ivy flipped her damp hair over her shoulder dramatically before walking towards where everyone was gathering to prepare for the elimination leaving Kookie and V to pull Suga out of the water. She locked eyes with Jong Kook who shot her a thumbs up and toothy grin before handing her a towel.

"Yah! Jong Kook! Don't help her she's on the other team. Maybe if you let her stay wet she'll not be able to compete in the next one!" Jae Suk didn't really think things through sometimes. Did he forget that someone on their team was getting eliminated?

"Oppa, kamsamnida. I'll make sure that we don't eliminate you this time," Ivy sent an overly happy grin to Jong Kook who just eyed Jae Suk with a question mark look on his face.

"Ah... Ah... Ivy-ssi you know that was all a joke right? Here take my towel too! Don't want you catching cold!" Jae Suk finally got it.

"Aniyo you might need that when you're stuck sitting in the van. I'm pretty sure it was really cold in ours. Don't want you getting sick now do we?" Ivy sent him the same overly cheerful look that she had Jong Kook when suddenly arms locked around her waist.

"If you'll excuse us we're going to go figure out who of you to eliminate," Was that jealousy? Ivy was pretty sure that's what she had heard but why would Yoongi be jealous? It's not like this was anything more than a show, right?

Whatever was going on in Yoongi's brain was going to have to wait until later. Now was the time to vote. Ivy held true to her promise to not let her team vote off Jong Kook but she was not sure who else to vote for. HaHa was just deceptive all the time but Jae Suk was pretty bad too. She wasn't going to vote off Mark and RapMon because watching them struggle together was the funniest thing she had ever seen and honestly as much as RapMon was known for breaking things it seemed unlikely that they would pose too much of a threat later. In the end her vote went to Jae Suk and J-Hope. Suga followed suit as well as the other members. Gary, Kwang Soo and Suk Jin all voted for HaHa. After their voting was done the black team was shuttled off to the next location. It was a park a few miles down from the pools and when they arrived they received a new mission card.

The mission card told them that there were six clues hidden around the park and that only the team that could piece together the clues would be able to correctly finish the mission. The were to go with their partner in a binding bracelet and couldn't use the hands that were connected at all. They also bound two of their feet together to make it into a type of three legged scavanger hunt. If they broke the bracelet or the ankle ties that team was out and could no longer help search. If all four couples broke their bonds then they would have a 10 minute penalty before being able to start again.

Needless to say this was going to be hard. They had no real idea what they were looking for and it was a large park with trees, flowerbeds, and fountains. Not to mention that people like V and Kwangsoo were at a massive disadvantage. The larger the height difference the easier to break the ankle bonds. As the black team was getting bound together with their partner the white team showed up and began to read the mission card. Suga and Ivy were the first two that were successfully bound together and they immediately took off, one completely in sync with the other. They had decided that they would go and check the bridge that ran over a small creek, thinking that surely they would have hidden something on the under side of it just to mess with them. Before they could get there however Suga stopped them and checked the bracelets deciding that the method of holding hands wasn't sufficient enough to keep the bracelets intact.

"Let's just interlock our fingers. If we don't I'm scared someone will try some dirty trick to break it. It'll be easier to keep close like that," Ivy nodded not even thinking about the fact that this was entirely irrelevant and that their grip had been just as strong the other way. She just wanted to win. The inevitable showing of her Capricorn-ness was coming. She would win at all costs. Ivy didn't play games to lose and she was going to put her all into this one. Her mind was already three steps ahead and she knew where they were going to search after the bridge and even after that. She also figured she had an inkling of an idea as to where these clues all were. She just hoped no one got to them first.

After interlocking their fingers and running a bit further to the bridge they slowly checked all around it. There didn't seem to be anything but at the last second Suga saw the Running Man sticker on a plank on the bridge. There couldn't have been anything on the actual bridge itself so they started to dig around in the pebbles below. Finally they found it, a small box. Inside was what looked like a piece of a puzzle with the Running Man symbol on it or at least they were pretty sure it's the Running Man symbol. They high fived as best they could before Ivy stuck the puzzle piece that was made out of an outdoor fabric into her pocket. They quickly fled the scene to see that both Gary/Kookie and Suk Jin/Jimin had their own pieces too.  They tried to search as best they could for the Alien and the Giraffe but they couldn't see them. That was strange. Oh well.

Three down and Three to go!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I'm honestly digging writing these challenges. They're so much fun omg! I hope you're all digging the story itself! As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	5. Competitive

Ivy motioned for to their team mates that they found a clue, trying to be quiet as possible so that the others wouldn't hear them. Once she got a thumbs up from the others indicating that they understood she motioned for Suga to start moving towards the little patch of trees, almost certain that they would find something there. She still hadn't caught sight of the Alien and the Giraffe and now it was starting to worry her. The other team had arrived when they had reached the bridge and were now out in the park searching themselves. Surely the V and Kwangsoo hadn't been ousted, it was far too early for that.

"Well, annyeong Yoongi-ssi, Ivy-yah," The pair stopped and looked over at Jong Kook and Jin who had just come up beside them.

"Anneyong Oppa, Jin-ah," While trying to be nice, Ivy was still looking for a way out of the situation. She didn't want to get ousted. She was going to win this.

"Anneyong Hyung-nim. Well we're a bit busy right now so we'll just get going," Suga tugged on Ivy's hand pulling her even closer to him, as if it were possible considering they were already all tied together. Suddenly Jong Kook's aura changed and he could have been emitting fire for how determined he was.

"I don't think so. I've got some payback to get to," Jong Kook reached out and grabbed Ivy's arm so fast she couldn't dodge him. Jong pulled her back against his chest and held her tightly around her waist with his free arm. "Jin get the bracelets!"

"Hyung! What are you doing? Stop!" Whereas most of this had been good natured on Jin and Ivy's part it seemed like Jong Kook and Suga were having an epic battle. Why, Ivy wasn't sure.

"Mian, Yoongi-ah," Jin kept trying to grab at their bracelets to rip them apart and that was when Ivy started seeing red. She wasn't so much angry Jong Kook and Jin but more so at the idea of not winning everything. Yeah, she was very competitive. Ivy quickly reached behind her and grabbed at Jong Kook's ribs making him laugh and slightly release her to stop her hand. When she felt free enough to run she lifted her free leg and hooked it around Jin and Jong Kooks bound ones. She pulled her leg forward sweeping Jin and Jong Kook's legs out from under them and they toppled backwards. As soon as they began to fall Suga and Ivy sprinted to the best of their abilities, trying to put as much distance betweent the two pairs as possible.

"Gwenchana?" Yoongi looked over Ivy making sure she was really fine as she nodded. "That was awesome! You took down Kim Jong Kook!"

"Only because he was attached to Kim Seokjin!" Ivy laughed and Yoongi joined her.

"You really are amazing," Yoongi pulled her into an awkward hug given their bindings.

"Komawo. Let's go check over there though. I need to win," Ivy pointed over at a fountain that no one had been to quite yet with a fire returning to her eyes.

"Omo... You really are competitive aren't you?" Yoongi chuckled as they sped off to the fountain.

"Most of my friends back home tell me that I rival Kim Jong Kook with my need to win. I'm pretty formidable too in case you forgot. I've never lost a challenge on my channel. Even the ones that my viewers voted on," Despite speaking to him, Ivy never glanced over at Suga, she was too busy looking for the R sticker. She finally found it but there was a problem. The clue was just out of her arms reach in the water and since she was only an inch or two shorter than Yoongi he couldn't reach it either. She already started to formulate a plan but she wasn't sure if it was going to be worth the risk and they couldn't both get into the fountain. "Yoongi-ah, how much can you lift?"

"I'm not sure, wae?" Yoongi was completely confused. Why the heck did it matter how much weight he could lift?

"Do you think you can hold my weight with just your arms?" Now he was kind of getting it. Ivy needed him to place their connecting feet onto the ledge of the fountain and hold her weight up by her arm that was joined to his and lower her to grab the clue without letting her fall in the water.

"Ne, I'm pretty sure I can," Ivy fully explained what she needed him to do and though there were a few moments where she had been sure that he was going to drop her he never did. They had their second clue and while still standing on the ledge of the fountain, motioned to their team mates. Suk Jin, Jimin, Gary and Kookie all sent her the signal that they got it and Gary had just signaled he had another clue as well when suddenly the Alien and the Giraffe came running across the park.

"WE GOT IT!!!!" Ivy face palmed before jumping down and running to the finish line. They needed to get to the safe zone and now. There was only one team winning this and without the clues they couldn't. If the white team were to run and catch one of them and take their clues they would be in an all out war.

The black team sprinted as fast as they could and were almost to the finish line when they saw Jong Kook and Jin running just a few paces behind them. Jong Kook was carrying Jin's weight awkwardly on his side though and just before he could grab onto Yoongi's shirt, who was closest since they had to run from further away, Jong Kook tripped over Jin's foot and they both toppled to the ground breaking their bracelets in the process. Well that was one less thing to worry about. 

Though they had ousted Jong Kook they still ran as fast as they could since they had no idea where the other team was. Luckily everyone crossed the line before they even saw the other team start the chase. Once they were across the line and fully disconnected from their partners, the PDnim said they had one minute to accurately put together the clues before they gave the other team a shot at it. When the whistle sounded Ivy quickly dug out her two clues while the others got theirs and ran to the board to begin trying to piece it together. It was just a big circle cut into different sizes and it ended up being a little harder than it looked but it appeared that Ivy had been right, it was just a big Running Man symbol. Once she realized how right she was instead of just dealing with the other members of the team she ripped their clues from their hands and began putting it together on her own. She only had about 15 seconds left at this point to get it right. She was beginning to sweat now, she couldn't afford to be wrong and she knew it. Right before the whistle sounded she slammed the last piece into the center making a complete puzzle.

"Seong-gong!" At the PDnim's announcement of their success Ivy screamed in victory and jumped up and down only to be caught in a hug first by Yoongi then everyone else on her team.

"Ivy! Ivy! Ivy!" They chanted her name and lifted her onto their shoulders only to have them drop her a few seconds later. Before she could hit the ground she felt a pair of strong arms catch her. When she opened her eyes she saw that Jong Kook was holding her bridal style and glaring at her team.

"Yah! How could you drop her!?" His arms tightened around her and she blushed and nervously laughed. This was just a tad bit strange. Why was he getting so angry? She knew that this was a common thing but seriously, why?

"We didn't mean to Jong Kook-ah," Suk Jin was practically cowering. For being the oldest he definitely was not any form of an authority or respected figure. That made Ivy laugh again but this time it wasn't nerves. She buried her face into Jong Kook's shoulder to keep herself with screeching from exactly how funny this entire situation was.

"Hyung, why don't you put down my partner? We have to get ready for the next mission," Yoongi walked up and set a deadpanned look on Jong Kook's glare.

"Why don't you protect your own partner more? Seems she's pretty safe and comfortable in my arms," Ivy laughed harder. She was dying. There was no possible way these two were legitimately fighting over her! She couldn't believe it. She felt Jong Kook's head rest on her temple before he whispered in her ear just loud enough so her and Yoongi could hear. "Don't worry I'll always protect you."

She couldn't see Yoongi's reaction but when she felt Jong Kook press his lips to her hair she knew that there was going to be a scowl present on Yoongi's face when she got down.

"Oppa, will you let me down please? For catching me, komawo," Ivy bowed towards Jong Kook when he let her down. Once she stood up from the bow, he pulled her into a hug placing yet another kiss onto her hair.

"I'll always be there to catch you," This time the other members heard him. They started whooping and hollering about how Yoongi was going to have to face off against Jong Kook for Ivy's heart and that Jong Kook had finally fallen in love. They didn't realize that this was not just for show. These two were in a battle trying to win over Ivy. Honestly even Ivy didn't realize that. She thought they just wanted to make things more interesting for the show and her embarrassment was sure to get them a lot of ratings if she was honest. She would never believe that two of the most attractive men in this country were actually fighting for her. She didn't think she was that worth it. Sure, she was comfortable in her body and with her personality but these men were like gods. They could have practically any woman they wanted, why would they ever choose her?

Yoongi lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest the moment that Jong Kook let her free. He wasn't holding her very tightly but she was definitely not getting pulled away from him any time soon judging by how stiffly locked his arms were around her. She looked up to see him flat out glaring at Jong Kook now and she felt herself blush. This was too intense.

Ivy hit her forehead into Yoongi's collarbone and rested it there with her arms hanging limply by her sides. She was starting to feel drained. Yoongi moved one of his hands to run through her long and currently black hair, while leaning his head onto hers. Ivy let out a huff, she was certain today would be the end of her. 

Shortly after the PDnim told them the black team needed to figure out who was going to be eliminated from the final mission. Before heading to where the rest of their team was, Yoongi made sure to plant a kiss on Ivy's cheek in full view of Jong Kook. Ivy was pretty sure she actually heard him growl. She immediately covered her face with her hand trying to conceal the blush that was creeping up her neck to her cheeks. She couldn't believe these two were being like this. All in good fun or not it was messing with her feelings.

Yoongi and Ivy finally made it over to their team members and they began discussing who to out. Being an avid fan Ivy began thinking through all the episodes that she had seen and figured out exactly what to do. They were all pushing to out Jong Kook but knowing the show there was probably going to be some form of trick or something that will make them all weak or at least weaker. In those types of episodes it seemed as if Jong Kook couldn't win. Yes, he was still a threat but not nearly as much as the others were believeing.

"We need to out HaHa and Ji Hyo. They are the biggest threat in this type of mission," Ivy stated blankly.

"Ivy-ah, I don't think you know how scary Jong Kook is," Suk Jin was trying to change her mind but it wouldn't work.

"No I get it but he's not the biggest threat. Honestly, Kwang Soo is but since he's on our team we need to go on ahead and eliminate HaHa. Ji Hyo isn't that bad but HaHa needs to be out. It's a couples mission. I could bet there's going to be a catch when we get there and if you haven't noticed after all this time Jong Kook is generally weaker in missions where he has to work with someone else. We need to oust HaHa," The boys couldn't disagree with her. So that's how they ended up agreeing to her plan. They told the PDnim their decision and went to get into the van to make their way to their final destination. Yoongi had his hand around Ivy's waist again and tugged her so that she laid her head on his shoulder and he smirked, pleased with himself.

" _I swear to god,_ Yoongi if you make me lose I will switch my bias."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So who's going to win? And are Yoongi and Jong Kook serious? I guess we'll find out soon! As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	6. The Final Chase

When the vans stopped it appeared that they were outside of just a large office building. Ivy craned her neck to look at the top of the building. She hoped that they were able to use all of the floors or at least the top ones. The building would definitely provide plenty of places to hide should the inside be how she imagined it in her head. Yoongi tugged on her arm lightly letting her know that the group was moving over to where the PDs were setup. They quickly joined and were informed that the partners were to choose a paper with a number and that they would be entering accordingly. Yoongi and Ivy got number 3. Yoongi cheered, picking his favorite number must be a good sign right? Ivy didn't honestly care she had been working on a plan since she saw the building. She was going to hunt down every last one of the others. She wasn't going to be on the defensive. Ivy planned on finding a hiding spot for Yoongi, knowing that they would win so long as one of them could stay alive. She wanted him to be defensive because she had every intention of proving how much more terrifying she was than Kim Jong Kook. She was going to destroy them.

Not too long later they began letting the teams in. There was no need for them to stay together but it seemed that most of the others had planned on it for the sake of protecting each others nametags. RapMon and Markiplier had drawn number one and were let into the building. They began sprinting as soon as they were in the main lobby. Ivy took note of how fast they ran, they were going to be a slight threat but as long as she could quickly get their nametags off there wasn't going to be a problem. Gary and Jungkook were next and they ran in taking a swift branching path down a hallway to the right of the lobby. Ivy figured that surely both of the teams were headed up the stairs to a safer location. She would have to make sure that Yoongi was cautious on his way. Before they knew it, Ivy and Yoongi were heading inside. The two simply made their way up to the second floor so that they could formally start to plan out what they were going to do.

"Yoongi-ah, go find somewhere that you won't be seen I'm going to go on the attack. Try to make sure that you make it to the final four if you hear them announce I'm out before attacking," Ivy was about to run out of the room when Yoongi grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"It'd be better if we stuck together Noona. That way we can protect each other," Yoongi was gazing sternly into her eyes.

"Yah! You think I'm not capable enough? Look I have a plan and you have the extra nametag. They can't oust you on the first go so just keep hidden and I will take care of the others. I'm much more terrifying than they seem to think I am," Ivy lightly flicked Yoongi's forehead, smiling widely at him. The black team had been given the advantage of an extra nametag per every pair before they left their vans since they had won both challenges. Yoongi was currently the holder of the extra life and Ivy was convinced that they would win should he follow her plan.

"Arrasseo. I'll listen to you but if you get ousted I don't know what you think will happen. Be careful, avoid Jong Kook Hyung as much as possible," Yoongi quickly pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "I'll be waiting for you."

Ivy nodded and quickly sprinted out the door before he had the chance to see the crimson spreading out on her face. She would be really happy when the two guys stopped playing with her feelings for the cameras. Well she was 90% certain it was for the cameras anyway. There was definitely part of her that wished it could be true that they liked her but that was just so unlikely. Once she turned a corner, Ivy stopped to shake her head and slap her cheeks.

_"Oh my god, these boys are going to be the death of me,"_  She looked directly at her vj that had been following her as she spoke. Worst comes to worst it will at least be entertaining to watch. "Now where are the others."

Ivy sprinted through all the halls that were available on the second floor before deciding to head upstairs to check. She was certain that at least two of the other teams had been let in if not all of them but since they weren't announcing entrances she couldn't be completely sure. Ivy ran up the stairs at a pace that even her vj was having trouble keeping up with her, only to turn onto the hall on the fourth floor. As soon as she ran through the door though she hit into someone's solid chest and they did a ridiculous spin before landing on the floor with her on top of him.

"Ivy-ah? Gwenchana?" Shit. It was Jong Kook. Of course it was, no way this would be as simple as she had hoped it would be. At least she knew that all the teams were inside now.

"Ne, Oppa. Mianhe," Jong Kook didn't even seem like he was worried with her nametag and Ivy was very thankful for that. If he had wanted to he could have ousted her when they fell but he instead helped her to a standing position but he kept her locked in his embrace.

"Is Yoongi-ah around?" Ivy shook her head in response and Jong Kook looked down the slight height difference into her blue-green eyes. Ivy couldn't look away from him even though she knew that this was the most dangerous situation for her to be in. Her body would no longer listen to her brain, Mr. Capable was just to enthralling to look at. Especially when he was giving her 'the eyes'. "I guess I'll have to protect you then."

Ivy couldn't form words or even move but she couldn't help but notice how Jong Kook's face kept seeming to get closer to hers. What the hell was he doing? Was this a legal tatic? Not that she honestly cared right now because if Jong Kook wasn't a god amoung men she would love to see who people considered a god, and he was inching closer to HER. She couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening and before she knew it his lips were ghosting over hers making her eyes widen. She froze in shock for a second before his lips pressed harder onto hers and then her mind started working over time. She was kissing Kim Jong Kook. Mr. Capable. The Tiger. The Commander. Her. BinguIvy the YouTuber. She was kissing him back and she was almost lost in the feeling of his lips. They were softer than she had imagined and felt almost like velvet against hers. He commanded the kiss and she simply followed his lead. When they broke apart it felt simultaneously like they had been kissing for hours and for just seconds. Behind them they heard a vj clear their throat. Had they always been there? No matter.

Ivy recovered more quickly than Jong Kook did and when she came to her senses she swiftly pulled his nametag off his back. At the sound of the ripping the face of betrayal that Jong Kook gave her almost broke her heart but they were on opposing teams and this was a game. They had plenty of time to make kissy faces later. Though again Ivy had to question whether or not it was all for show.

"Mianhe, Oppa. I really need to win though," Ivy leaned up a bit and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before sprinting off.

"Is it bad that that only makes me like her more?" Ivy heard Jong Kook say this to the men taking him away as she turned the corner into the next hallway. She blushed deeply and paused to fan herself, looking up and down the hallway.

"What in the world was that? He's not serious right?" Ivy bent to rest her hands on her knees and looked back up at the VJ. "I can't take much more of these guys. Jinja."

Ivy stood back up and sprinted down the hall. She needed to keep moving. The speakers resounded with the information that Jong Kook had been ousted and Ivy needed to find her next victim. Luckily it seemed that she had just happened to stumble into the best situation for herself. Mark and Rapmon were at the end of the hallway and if she played her cards right she could oust them quickly. She quickly ran up behind them trying to move as quietly as possible. They seemed to be distracted waiting for whoever was coming down the stairs and didn't notice her at all. In the blink of an eye she had her hands clamped down on both of their nametags and they turned to look at her, jumping back in surprise caused them to pull both of their own nametags off.

"Markiplier Out. RapMonster Out. Markiplier Out. RapMonster Out," The announcement took no time at all.

" _Really now? Why would you do this Ivy? Dammit."_  Markiplier was laughing and pouting at the same time and it only served to make Ivy laugh too. RapMon was still covering his face in shame.

_"Sorry Markimoo! I need to win this!"_ Ivy called after Mark as he and RapMon were being led away by four imposing men. Ivy started to think now. There were seven people left not including her and Yoongi. She was hoping that maybe Kwang Soo would be able to betray at least one of them before she had to start going after them. She really wished she knew who all had the extra nametags, it would have made things simpler. As she sat thinking with her back in the corner beside the door to the stairs, the door swung open and Jimin came running through. He paused to turn and wait for Suk Jin but Ivy was already moving when she spotted him. She sprinted past him taking his nametag with her.

"Again already!?" Jimin groaned as Suk Jin came to see what happened but before he could tell her the men were back and taking him away with hands over his mouth. Ivy did a mini victory dance when she realized that Jimin had had the second nametag thus leaving Suk Jin wide open. As the announcement of Jimin being ousted rang through the building Ivy peeked around the corner to see Suk Jin running towards her looking back at the stairs. She bided her time and at the last possible moment threw herself into his back grabbing his nametag and ripping it off his back. It didn't come off completely though so now she was locked in a battle with Suk Jin, though she had to admit that he wasn't that difficult to gain the upper hand over. Before she finished ripping his nametag off though they both paused hearing the announcer come on again.

"V out. Jungkook out. V out. Jungkook out," Ivy pulled as hard as she could on Suk Jin's nametag and it finally came free. Suk Jin laughed in anguish and looked towards the camera. Ivy went to join him.

"Race start!" They both yelled and then the men were there to escort Suk Jin to jail. Now there were three people left that Ivy needed to oust.  She could bet that Jin had been placed in hiding and that Gary was probably doing the same. She needed to find them and oust them then there'd be no chance for Kwang Soo to oust her really. She was not even chancing an alliance with the traitor but she was going to have to figure out how to get the other two. Maybe now was the time to pull Yoongi out of hiding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Well here's the new one... I've had to really think this through and honestly this one kind of stumped me for a little while but hey I finally got it! As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	7. The Final Battle

Ivy started sprinting to where she figured Yoongi could be hiding. She didn't dare call out for him in the off chance that someone was lurking though. Ivy had to sprint up three more flights of steps and down four hallways to come across anyone. When she did finally run into someone it was Kwang Soo. He was looking around and hadn't quite noticed her yet so she took the opportunity to run full speed towards him with the sole purpose of tearing his nametag off. Unfortunately the Giraffe is somewhat easily startled and quickly noticed her heading for him. He spun as quickly as he could trying to keep her from latching onto him.

"Ivy-ah, listen, I can help you get Gary and Jin. I will help you! Just let me live this once!" Kwang Soo was cowering before her and she could only hope it was because he had come to realize exactly how scary she was. Ivy only smirked at his offer though and began to spin him ever so slightly towards the door of the room behind him. In a split second without the Giraffe being able to sense anything other than his utter terror at the smaller girl in front of him, Yoongi leapt through the door and peeled off Kwang Soo's nametag. "Mwoh? Andwae?!"

"Lee Kwang Soo Out. Lee Kwang Soo Out," Yoongi reached for Ivy and pulled her to him in a tight embrace as the imposing men came to take Kwang Soo away.

"I'm so happy you made it this far! I was worried about you!" Yoongi tightened his hold on her and began running his fingers through her long hair. "Don't scare me like this anymore. Do you know who got Jong Kook?"

"Ne, I did," Ivy beamed up at him and his face went slack.

"How?" Ivy tried not to show her disappointment in how amazed he was but failed.

"Well, he kissed me and when we pulled apart I ripped off his nametage," Yoongi looked like someone had set a fire in his eyes. He was enraged. How dare Jong Kook kiss Ivy?!

"He KISSED you?" Ivy simply nodded and before she could make to nod a second time Yoongi caught her face. He crashed his lips onto hers in a rough kiss. Ivy hardly had the time to register what was happening before Yoongi moved to deepen the kiss. His kiss was far less gentle but just as passionate as Jong Kook's and Ivy felt like melting into his arms that were holding her tightly to him. One of his hands had knotted into her hair holding her head in place, not that she was going to pull away on her own, while the other was roughly grabbing at her hip. Even the VJ clearing his throat didn't make Yoongi pull away from her. It was as if he was determined to make her his no matter what it took. After a couple more attempts at getting them to separate by clearing his throat, the VJ finally gave in and practically pulled Yoongi away from Ivy.

"We're still filming, you know," Yoongi bowed slightly to the VJ apologizing before turning back to Ivy.

"Don't let other guys touch you," Yoongi grabbed Ivy's hand and began sprinting down the hallway back to the stairs. "Jin is on the third floor and I think Gary was hiding on the fifth. I think they'll end up running into each other on the fourth though. Last I heard they were looking for each other."

Hearing this Ivy sprinted a little harder and Yoongi had a hard time keeping up but they came to the fourth floor entrance in only a few seconds. Ivy stopped them and only slightly cracked the door open motioning for the men to be quiet before pressing her ear to the crack. She could hear footsteps running away from them but couldn't honestly tell if it was both of the prey she was after. A second later Ivy flung open the door and threw Yoongi's hand out of hers sprinting down the hall in the direction of the footsteps. She quickly caught up only to find Gary pinned against a wall by Jin who was doing everything he could to reach Gary's nametag. Just as Gary sneakily ripped off Jin's nametag Ivy quickly ran into the brawl and caught Gary in a reverse headlock giving her momentary access to his nametag before he realized what was going on. She ripped it off as quickly as possible. 

"Jin Out. Gary Out. Jin Out. Gary Out." The announcement flooded the building and Ivy turned towards the hall and started jumping and screaming in joy when she saw Yoongi.

"We did it! We won!" Yoongi ran over to Ivy and picked her up and swung her around in a circle. When he finally let her down they were led to the first floor that housed the jail. It was a quick trip but the entire way neither Yoongi nor Ivy could stop smiling. Yoongi had once again interlocked his fingers with hers and never once did his eyes leave her. She was radiating with happiness and Yoongi had never seen anything quite like it. She was the most gorgeous woman on the planet to him in that moment.

Jin and Gary entered the jail first followed by the victorious couple and the cast and guest slowly applauded them, except for Jong Kook. He had a glare fixed on Yoongi from where he sat behind a long table that had been set up in front of a tv. Yoongi and Ivy seemed to be the only ones who noticed however and Ivy blushed while Yoongi had a smug smirk plastered on his face. The others quickly formed a huddle around the winners each of them taking their turn to pat them on the back and congradulate them on their win. As soon as their praise was over the PDnims had them all line up with Yoongi and Ivy in the center and handed over their prize. The prize was a golden heart plaque about three inches tall with an R engraved in it for each of them.

"Ah the lovers have been decided!" HaHa roared from behind them, pushing Ivy and Yoongi even closer together. Yoongi allowed a full blown smile to form on his face and put his arm around Ivy who covered her face with her free hand. She was laughing so genuinely that everyone else around her began to laugh. Jong Kook was again the only exception. A few seconds later the PDnims had Mark do the slate clap and filming was over for the day. The BTS boys were set to head back to their dorm so they could prepare for their schedules the next day and Mark and Ivy were going back to the house where they had first met for the night so that they could film again tomorrow with another guest star.

Ivy breathed a sigh of relief as she realized the boys fighting over her for the camera was finally done. She had to admit that while she really did like the attention that they gave her, it hurt her soul to know that it wasn't real for them. To be honest though she wasn't even sure who she would have chosen had it been real. Sure Yoongi was her Ultimate Bias but Jong Kook had a certain charm that made him match with Yoongi in her eyes. She seemed to have the same amount of things in common with both guys and both had the same amount of downfalls for her. She was just glad that she didn't have to choose. Ivy began to turn to head towards the van to head home finally clear of all her stress for that day when Yoongi caught her arm.

"Noona, is there anyway that I can keep in touch with you? I know you're filming tomorrow and I don't trust Jong Kook Hyung," Ivy tilted her head towards him but told him her Kakao ID. He quickly looked it up on his phone and added her to his friends. He sent her a quick message with one of his favorite emojis and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I'll talk to you soon, Noona."

Yoongi left with Ivy still standing there in shock. What the actual hell? Wasn't all of that for the cameras? Why would he do this now? While Ivy was still trying to get her mind straight Jong Kook came up to her.

"So... Yoongi? Do I even stand a chance?" Ivy looked up at him and noted his sad looking eyes. She was about to go insane.

"What do you mean? Wasn't all this just for the show? For the ratings?" Jong Kook shook his head in what appeared to be exasperation.

"You said you're a fan of Running Man. Have you ever seen me so close with one of our female guests?" Ivy's eyes widened. She really hadn't even thought about that. "See? It's your choice now. I think we've both made our feelings pretty clear and if that's not enough for you then I hope this is. Johahaeyo."

Jong Kook leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and walked away. Ivy was simply standing there in shock again. She couldn't wrap her mind around what was going on it just didn't make any sense.

" _Ivy, the van's about to leave we need to get going. You okay? You look all miscombobulated,"_ Markiplier came bounding over to Ivy in a jump and spin that had been meant to make her laugh but when she remained focused on the same spot on the wall it concerned him.

" _He likes me? He really likes me? How is that even possible?"_  Ivy was mumbling to herself but given her state of shock she had reverted back to English.

" _Who likes you? Jong Kook? Suga? Yeah they like you. Did you really not get that all day?"_  Mark was surprised that she really hadn't picked up on just how serious the two were about the fight that they had been having all day.

" _I thought it was all for the cameras but just now... Jong Koook... He confessed... And Yoongi... He said he doesn't trust Jong Kook around me tomorrow... I just.... I can't... I can't even.... What the actual fuuck is going on? How even?"_ Mark didn't really have answers and she knew it but Ivy couldn't help but try to use him as a way to figure things out. She needed someone to talk to and the only other option was to call her friend back in the states but they were 15 hours behind and Ivy was pretty sure that meant that her friend was in class. She needed help now and couldn't wait for a response on Kakao. Therefore Mark was her only option at that point.

" _Well... Do you like either of them?"_  This was the downfall of using Mark. He had no prior knowledge of her feelings or what she had been dreaming of for years.

" _Yes... I like them both... The problem is I don't know who I like more..."_  Ivy's shoulders slumped as she threw her head back in anguish.

" _Well wouldn't it be hard for you guys when you go back to the States anyways?"_ Ivy's world practically shattered. He was right. What would happen to them when she went back to the states? She had to go back home at some point. Either that or try to get dual citizenship or a visa but no matter what she did she'd have to go back for a long while anyways. Did either of the guys think about this? Probably not if she was honest. They were probably too caught up in trying to win her over. How was she supposed to handle this when she had no idea what was going to happen the next month when she went back home?

All Ivy knew was before she left she was going to have to give them both an answer. Though she didn't even know the answer herself yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I'm hoping that no one will be disappointed with how this turns out because honestly I'm still not even sure how it will end. I'm a slave to what my hands decide to type, I have no conscious control over what happens! As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	8. Conflict of Interest

Once they were back at the house, both Mark and Ivy went to their rooms and pulled out their cameras to give their subs a heads up as to what was going on. Though the two couldn't give specifics, Ivy managed to simply find a way to tell the fans her concerns in a light hearted manner that made the mess that was her feelings seem trivial. She was a master at hiding how serious things were to her and making it fun for people to hear. Today was the first time that it actually weighed on her though. She had never wanted to talk to her friends about what had happened so bad in her life. She had sent her friend a message on Kakao and was now awaiting a response though it seemed as if it would be a good long while before she got it. Instead of waiting around for it and making herself worry even more over her current predicament, Ivy decided to just get ready for bed. After she got out of the shower she checked her phone noticing that she still hadn't gotten a response and laid down trying to clear her mind. It didn't work though and for the rest of the night she tossed and turned trying to get any form of sleep. After what felt like forever, sleep finally claimed her.

Ivy woke up to a weight shifting on her bed, though she didn't bother moving. As she lay there trying again to let sleep claim her, she felt whoever was on her bed brush her hair out of her face. In irritation she grumbled and slapped then grabbed at whoever it was trying to pin them under her so she could continue her sleep. Yeah, Ivy didn't like being woken up and she was definitely not a morning person. She was pretty evil when she first woke up to be perfectly honest.

"Ivy-ah? We have to start filming in about an hour. You might want to wake up," Ivy was pretty sure that was Jong Kook's voice. It was surprisingly soothing to feel it vibrating in his chest where she was resting her head. She nuzzled a little more into his chest and mumbled out her response.

"Then I can have thirty more minutes of sleep Oppa. Please? You're comfy and warm," Ivy almost startled herself awake at how nice she was being. Usually she would be on par with Satan when someone woke her up.

"Arrasseo. I'll let you sleep a little longer. I'll come back in a bit," Jong Kook made to move but Ivy held to him steadfast. He was just so ridiculously warm and cuddleable. Was that even a word? Cuddleable?

"Aniyo, Oppa! Stay!" Well that was getting closer to her demonic morning self but still was much nicer than usual. What had this man done to her?

"Arrasseo. I'll wake you up in a bit," Jong Kook gave in to her demands fairly quickly and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed letting a grin cross her face. He was just so comfy.

Not too long after he gave in to her, Jong Kook started to lightly hum to her and it was almost heavenly. Ivy was still so confused as to how the Tiger was so amazing at singing ballads and how his voice was so angellic but it was just too perfect in that moment. His voice lulled her back into a restful bit of sleep and he simply watched over her and rubbed small circles into his back. He had never thought that he could be the person holding her like this and it was perfect for him. The only thing Jong Kook wished he could change was that he wished he never had to let her go. Ivy wasn't really his ideal type but despite that she was still perfect to him. 

Jong Kook was attracted to everything about her, her laugh that was so contagious, her body that, even though it was a little larger than he ever though he would have been attracted to, was able to fit perfectly in his arms, her eyes, her beautiful eyes that were playful one moment and on fire with determination the next. His mind slowly drifted back to the kiss that he had stolen from her the day before and couldn't help but grin while still keeping his voice even. It had been the best kiss he had ever had. In that moment she had felt so small and vulnerable to him, he wished so desperately that they hadn't been on separate teams. He still wasn't sure if she realized that her kiss with Yoongi had been shown in the jail or not but he had never been so hurt before. He really had no idea where all of these feelings had come from. He wasn't inexperienced in love but he definitely wasn't one to fall for someone so quickly and she had managed to make him go against everything that he had ever believed in when it came to love. He stopped humming and sighed looking down at Ivy who was still curled against him with a slight smile on her face. How did he ever let this happen?

Ivy's phone suddenly rang from where she had it on the side of her bed on the charger, startling Jong Kook so much that he jumped. Ivy scrunched up her face not looking happy at all and rolled over answering the phone without even bothering to look at the caller id. It was not lost on Jong Kook that her ringtone had been a song by BTS and it made him cringe ever so slightly.

"YAH!!! _I texted you like 18 hours ago! It doesn't take that long to get out of class and answer your_ Unnie _who's in Korea at the moment! And now you call while I'm all curled up and peaceful in bed and getting cuddles! I am going to kill you when I come back home! I won't forget this!"_ Ivy was definitely not the one to mess with when she had just woken up and now Jong Kook could see it. If he was being honest though he figured she must have been half asleep to yell about being cuddled up with someone or completely forgotten that he knew English. At least for the most part.

" _I'm sorry_ Unnie!  _You texted me while I was in class and I didn't think it was super important and forgot. Then I went home and studied until I fell asleep. I just remembered now,"_ Ivy knew she was over reacting but she couldn't help it, she was sleep deprived at that moment.

" _Angie, you are a very, very lucky_ dongsaeng. _I'm having a crisis though,"_ Ivy got up and began moving around the room gathering her things to get herself ready for the day. Jong Kook took this as a signal for him to go and motioned that he was leaving, getting a not so happy looking smile and nod from Ivy.

_"What do you mean a crisis? Did you make two idols fall in love with you at first sight?"_ Ivy listened as Angie giggled still trying to get herself out of demon mode and almost failing at the sound of one of her best friends laughing at her.

" _Not exactly but close enough. Kim Jong Kook and Min Yoongi. Just not at first sight. I'm not sure they're in love either but they definitely both kissed me and I just got out of cuddles with Jong Kook. I don't know what to do Ange...."_ Ivy trailed off as she was throwing on her clothes while trying to keep the phone pressed to her ear. 

_"REALLY? I was just joking! BOTH OF THEM????? WHERE'S THE TEAPOT EMOJI WHEN YOU NEED IT!? Hashtag teapot emoji lives matter!"_  Yep. Ivy should have known this was going to be the outcome of this conversation. Now she was going to have to reel Angie back into the real root of the problem and not the fangirl dream.

_"Angie. I have to choose. This isn't one of the stories we've read online. I really have to make a decision and then I have to figure out what's going to happen in a month when I'm supposed to leave. What the hell do I do?"_ Ivy rubbed her temples and sat on the corner of the bed. While they were sitting in silence for a moment, Angie trying to calm herself down and Ivy really trying to figure out what to do, Ivy heard her Kakao notification go off. She pulled the phone from her ear and put Angie on speakerphone before switching over to the app.

MinSuga93: Annyeong Jagi. Hope you have a good day. I'm going to be in the studio most of the day but I'll try to text you often!

Underneath his message was an Apeach heart eyed emoticon. Ivy couldn't help but grin as she texted him back.

BinguIvy: Annyeong Yoongi-ah. I'm filming most of the day today too so I'll try to respond as much as possible.

She sent him a shy Namjoon emoticon underneath. She was not afraid to admit to anyone that yes, she had bought all the BTS emoticon packs on Kakao and was definitely not afraid to use them.

MinSuga93: Jinja, Jagi? Jinja?

BinguIvy: I AM A FANGIRL FIRST!

MinSuga93: Arrasseo. Take care of yourself today Jagiya.

BinguIvy: I will win at all costs!

" _Who do you think you fit best with personality wise?"_ Ivy had almost forgotten that she was still on the phone with Angie and jumped when she suddenly started talking.

" _I'm not sure but I was cuddling with Jong Kook this morning and now Yoongi is calling me_ Jagiya. _I have no idea what to do."_

_"_ _Well, if you want to know what I think then I'll tell you this. I think you'd be better sticking with Yoongi. First off because he's literally you're ultimate bias. Second off because you two have a much smaller age gap. Third off because even though you wouldn't be able to see him very much either, you'd be able to still live here in the states and see him. Jong Kook doesn't really have that option. Running Man is a huge thing out there and we know it but he wouldn't be able to just come visit whenever and his concerts don't really happen here except for if he comes to KCon. BTS is starting to visit the US regularly now and I think that you'd be better off sticking with that. I know you're still thinking of moving out there but think about what the fans would say if you were with either of them. At least with Yoongi you're not going to get called a gold digger for being your age,"_ Ivy really hadn't thought about that. Not only was she going to get a lot of hate for just simply being with either one she was also going to get a ridiculous amount of hate for being American. Did she really want to add another reason for her to get hate into the mix?

_"Ugggghhhhh.... Why couldn't they have just been turned off by my fangirlness or at least not both like me.... I'm really conflicted,"_ Ivy turned off speakerphone and pressed the phone back to her ear again. She walked out of the room to be greeted by a very perky Markiplier.

" _Ivy! Who ya talking to huh? Huh? Is it a pretty girl? Can I talk to her?"_ Ivy rolled her eyes. How was it possible for him to be so upbeat in the mornings.

_"Angie, I'm handing you to Markiplier,"_ Ivy put the phone in Mark's outstretched hand and walked down the stairs leaving Mark to stare at the phone in surprise before pressing it to his own ear.

" _Hi I'm Markiplier! How are you Angie?"_ Ivy could practically feel the teapot squeal bubbling in Angie's throat even though she could no longer hear her and was thousands of miles away from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N And we're still considering here lol... I really don't know who she's going to end up with honestly... I'm very confused and conflicted... As Always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	9. The New Race

 ?>   
Foreword  
   
 1 Welcome To Running Man   
   
 2 The Fangirl Will Out   
   
 3 Teaming Up   
   
 4 The First Two Missions   
   
 5 Competitive   
   
 6 The Final Chase   
   
 7 The Final Battle   
   
 8 Conflict of Interest   
   
 9 The New Race   
 

" _So tell me all of Ivy's darkest secrets, Angie. I need something to use against her so I can win today,"_ Mark had been talking to Angie for a solid thirty minutes now and Ivy wasn't sure she liked it anymore. She kept her eyes on her breakfast though, trying to really think about her options when it came to the guys. She wasn't sure which would be better and unfortunately she really did like the both of them. Even though dating them would definitely have it's draw backs and cons, Ivy was willing to over look all of that for either one of them. Ivy really didn't care about what people would say about her but she did care what would happen to them. In that aspect Jong Kook was the better option, his career was pretty much set at this point where as Yoongi and BTS would suffer a lot if they were found out. Ivy huffed out  sigh and dropped her head to the table with a resounding thud.

" _Ivy just slammed her head onto the table. Do you know anything about that Angie?"_  Mark reached over and poked Ivy's shoulder and she turned to face him.

" _I'm just thinking. This is a pretty normal response. You get used to it after a while,"_ Jong Kook walked into the kitchen at that moment and saw Ivy's head on the table.

"Wae? Gwenchana?" He rushed over to Ivy's side and put a hand to her forehead, worry covering his sharp features. She had to admit this caring side of him was definitely winning her over.

"Oppa, gwenchana. I was just thinking. That can be a lot harder than it seems for me sometimes," Ivy laughed and Jong Kook grinned at her. He was completely unable to school his features when she looked at him like that.

"Don't work yourself too hard, alright?" He leaned in a pressed a light kiss to her forehead when she nodded in response. Yeah Jong Kook was definitely taking the upper hand now.

" _Ivy? Angie wants to knpow what's going on,"_ Mark handed back her phone and Ivy sat up straight.

" _What's going on? Are you sure you're going to survive there for a month?"_  Ivy rolled her eyes even though Angie couldn't see it.

" _I'm just thinking. It's going to be difficult as long as I'm dealing with this issue but once I make a decision it'll be fine. Both sides have their own pros and cons,"_  Ivy glanced over at Mark and Jong Kook who were in a heated discussion about the pros and cons of anaerobic versus aerobic workouts. They were adorable and Ivy had to suppress a fangirl squeal.

_"I thought we discussed this already? Didn't we figure that Suga would be better?"_ Angie huffed into the phone and Ivy rolled her eyes again.

" _No, YOU decided that and brought up things that made me think even more,"_ Ivy stood and walked out of the kitchen to the front yard/garden area.  _"If I choose Yoongi though and the press catches on, it'll hurt BTS. Tey may not be rookies any more but a scandal like that could kill any chance they have at keeping their fame. Where as Jong Kook is pretty set in his popularity at this point. I don't really care about what anyone has to say about me but I do care if it could hurt them. I think this is going to be something I just have to talk to them up front about to be able to make my decision."_

_"Yeah I guess you have a point. I was much more worried about you, I guess. I would hate for either of them to suffer because of mean fans,"_ Ivy could almost see Angie's pout in her mind's eye. " _Well if you need someone to talk it over with just let me know but I'm pretty sure Markimoo wants to help too. He said you were already a pretty cool friend,"_ Ivy giggled with Angie.

_"I can't believe I met Markiplier and I'm not even trying to get him to like me romantically. You know how weird this is for me?"_  Angie laughed, it was weird, they both used to want to be the one to grab up Markiplier but it seemed like these other two had captured Ivy's heart completely. Given adding Mark into the mix would only make things more difficult. Ivy was really happy to hear that he thought of her as a friend though.  _"Alright. Well, I think filming's going to start soon and you probably need to go eat and study."_

_"_ Ne, Unnie.  _I hope you figure it out soon. I'll be cheering for you. If Jong Kook starts randomly galring it's because I'm rooting for you to win,"_ Ivy laughed and said her good byes. She continued to chuckle for a while at their inside joke. They had always said it would be funny i celebrities in Korea could sense when a fan was being disloyal or writing something weird about them. it was ridiculous but it was very funny.

_"What are you laughing about?"_  Mark came out the door and booped her on the head. Yes, booped her head. With sound effects and all.

_"Nothing just a joke me and Angie make all the time back home,"_  Ivy shrugged at Mark as Jong Kook made his way out the door. " _Oh, yeah!_ What are you doing here this morning anyways, Oppa?"

"Ah, I offered to come wake you two up last night and tak you to the filming location," Jong Kook pointed towards the sidewalk leading to the other houses that the other cast members were slowly coming out of.

"Arrasseo, let's get going then," With that Ivy, Mark, and Jong Kook headed out to find the filming location. It was a fairly short and quiet walk but Ivy appreciated the peace. It wasn't going to be long before thier bit of peace was shattered by fierce competition. At least for Ivy it was fierce.

When they arrived in front of the cameras they formed a line to wait for further instructions and, from what Ivy had gathered, a new guest. The cast was in a lively debate with the crew over them not receiving a wake up call, which was odd considering they usually had one when filming was going to take two days. The PDnims told them that they wanted to make things as easy as possible for Ivy and especially Mark since he wasn't as familiar with Running Man, to which HaHa said that it was time that he learned. Ivy couldn't help but laugh. Though it was all in good fun the guys had been picking on Mark a lot, especially since he didn't speak Korean, and she was having a bunch of fun just listening to their attempts to make fun of him since they didn't seem to know that Mark regularly made fun of himself.

"Today's race is called the Korean Tour," The head PDnim had to slightly shout so that everyone could hear him. Ivy both perked up and deflated at the same time which seemed to make Jong Kook laugh. She just knew that this was going to mean a whole bunch of time being spent in a car and she was not looking forward to it.

"Wae? What was that look Ivy?" Jong Kook poked at her ribs and Ivy jumped. Damn her ticklishness.

"We're going to start here in Seoul for the first game before which we will determine the teams. There will be three teams of three. Don't worry we've set Markiplier up with a translator and an ear piece like we have in the past with other guests," The PDnim again spoke over them to get this part of filming over quickly. They really were going to be travelling a lot today if they were trying to hurry this along.

"There's not another guest coming?" Ivy asked tilting her head to the side. The guys on the cast burst with, what Ivy figured, was excitement.

"Gwiyeowo!" HaHa screamed while Kwangsoo came over to try and take one of Ivy's hands only to be deflected by both Jong Kook and Jae Suk who was also trying to grab her hand. Gary went over to Ji Hyo and said something that Ivy guessed reinforced their Monday Couple title. Suk Jin simply smiled and chuckled.

"Wae? What'd I do?" This time Ivy turned and pouted at them with her head still tilted.

"She's just so adorable! Let me be your knight!" Kwangsoo screamed from where Jong Kook was holding him allowing Jae Suk the opportunity to grab her hand and hold it in both of his. HaHa was now lying on the ground screaming for Go Eun clutching at his heart. Both Suk Jin and Gary were doubled over laughing.

"You are the most adorable guest we've had this summer for sure and maybe even th-!" Jae Suk's sentence was cut short by Jong Kook's arm hooking around his neck and dragging him away from Ivy. She could practically hear his 'Sparta!' theme playing when she saw it happen.

"PDnim! I will take it personally if I'm not on Ivy-ah's team this time!" Ivy chuckled as the PDnim seemed to shake at Jong Kook's thinly veiled threat.

"There won't be a new guest for this race and you will be drawing lots for your team members," The PDnim held out a can that held nine different peaces of paper. "Each paper has a number one through three on it. You will be teamed up with the other people who draw the same number."

The cast quickly dove forward and formed a line to draw their lots leaving Ivy and Mark to bring up the rear. When Ivy got her paper she went back to the line that had reformed behind her to stand next to Jong Kook. They opened their papers slowly one by one. Ji Hyo had drawn a number two, HaHa a number three, Jae Suk a two, Mark a one, and Suk Jin a three. At this point Kwangsoo ran over to the end of the line next to Ivy and tried to trade with her. For some reason she agreed and they switched before Gary opened his paper. Gary had received a number two as well fully forming team two with Ji Hyo, Gary, and Jae Suk. Jong Kook had drawn a number one and it was now down to the two who had switched their lots.

Ivy could practically feel a fire on the back of her head as Jong Kook stared at her. Kwangsoo was in the midst of trying to convince the PDnims to just put him with the Traitors team since he was scared that Jong Kook might kill him if he was placed on his team. Ivy turned and looked at Jong Kook who's expression softened considerably. He mouthed something at her and she was really horrible at reading lips when they were speaking Korean so she simply walked over to where he was standing to ask what he said.

"You'll be on my team. I know it. They wouldn't want to risk the Giraffe's health like that," Jong Kook reached up and placed a hand on top of Ivy's head and pressed his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes and grinned at her. "I'm going to protect you this time."

"It's only a game, Oppa, I've never been in danger," Ivy didn't catch his real meaning and he was a little disappointed. He had meant that he would protect her from other guys' advances but he wasn't going to explicitly tell her that. He wasn't even her boyfriend yet. Yet. He was convinced that he would beat Min Yoongi for her heart. He had to.

The PDnims finally got Kwangsoo to give up his desperate pleas and fall back next to Ivy so that they could open up their papers and form the final teams. They both opened them to the cameras without looking first and the Giraffe slowly brought his to peak at it and screamed in joy when he saw the three that was etched on it. He ran over and did the Pil-Chok-Cross with the other Traitors as Jong Kook came to look at Ivy's paper for himself. He picked her up and swung her around in a tight embrace when he saw the number one on the paper. Ivy simply laughed at his actions.

"Now I'll get to protect you."

"Aniyo. Now you get to win with me." Jong Kook couldn't help the big smile that crossed his face to match Ivy's brilliant one. They were going to work together finally and maybe Jong Kook could stake a claim to a bigger part of her heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Well... I finally updated ^_^ sorry it took so long. I was at a loss as to what to do for this chapter but I think I have some more fun games planned for the next couple chapters. I know that this chapter was very Jong Kook centric but they kind of will be for a bit. You will see texts from Suga but not much else for a little while because I am trying to stay as close to realistic as possible. If you hate me for that, Mianhe.. I might be a tiny bit evil... As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	10. Road Trips and Conversations

Ivy, Jong Kook, and Markiplier made their way over to the blue Hyundai that was to be their transportation from Seoul to Busan. Ivy's shoulders sagged just a bit as she got in the passenger's seat while Mark jumped into the back and Jong Kook got comfy behind the wheel. They started the engine and were soon off to their first destination of a park for their first mission.

" _Uggghhh.... Why do we have to drive so far?"_ Ivy huffed and leaned back in her seat with a cringe on her face. Jong Kook smiled and chuckled a bit while reaching over and ruffling her hair.

" _Why? What's so bad about having to spend time in a small space with me?"_ Suddenly Mark's head shot into the space between the driver and passenger's seat.

" _What am I invisible now? Do I no longer exist?"_ The fake hurt expression on his face was just the best. Mark really knew how to play it up in front of a camera.

" _No you're not Markimoo! I still see you! I still lurve you!"_ Ivy reached over and patted his head making him bring his shoulders up to his ears and do a ridiculous squirm of happiness. " _I just hate being in a car for a long time. It makes me so sleepy and then I'll be useless in the games and I just want to prove my worth,_ Oppa."

" _I think you proved all you needed to when you ousted me in the last chase. You don't have to do anything else to prove yourself. You're perfect,"_ Jong Kook took his hand off her head to put her hand into his lacing their fingers. Ivy blushed but made no move to pull her hand away. Until her phone went off that is. She pulled her hand out of Jong Kook's to dig her phone out of her pocket. She felt her lips pull into a small smile to see that it was Suga.

MinSuga93: Are you filming yet?

BinguIvy: Yeah we're having to drive from Seoul to Busan all day with stops in between. Are you taking a break already?

MinSuga93: Nah. RapMon is working on some lyrics that he wants to be in English. So I've got a bit of time before he's done.

BinguIvy: Ah I see... Shouldn't you be worried about the production bit? I know you guys have been working to put out a self made album.

MinSuga93: Yeah but it's hard to focus when I really just want to talk to you. I wish we could have done the second day of filming. It's so boring here without you.

BinguIvy: Uh huh... Sure... You act like you don't love every second of what you're doing....

MinSuga93: Yeah you're right.. I love it... So how are you guys teamed up this time?

BinguIvy: Ji Hyo, Gary, and Jae Suk are a team, Kwangsoo, Suk Jin, and HaHa are a team and I'm on a team with Jong Kook and Markiplier.

MinSuga93: You're on Jong Kook's team? Can you trade? I don't like him being so close to you. He irritates me.

BinguIvy: He's your Hyung and Sunbae. You've literally been friends with him up until this past couple days... What the hell....

MinSuga93: I don't like the way he looks at you. He wants you... and I... I don't like it...

BinguIvy: You two are ridiculous...

MinSuga93: Idc if I'm being ridiculous... I just want you to see me... I don't want other guys looking at you like that...

BinguIvy: ...

MinSuga93: I'm sorry if that's too much... But it's true, Johahaeyo. Jinja...

BinguIvy: I have a lot to think about.... I can't really answer your feelings right now.... And I definitely don't want to do it over text...

MinSuga93: It's okay... I should have waited till I saw you again... I can wait... If it's for you I'd wait forever...

BinguIvy: Okay... Well... I guess I need to go... I think we're close to the location...

MinSuga93: Okay... I'll talk to you soon Jagi...

" _Was that Yoongi-ah?"_  Jong Kook gave Ivy what looked like a really sad smile from the side as he was still paying attention to the road in front of him despite them having been in stand still traffic for the past fifteen minutes.

" _Yeah... You two are the most confusing fuuckers ever... Why did this have to be so complicated?"_ Ivy said most of this under her breath but Jong Kook and Mark apparently have a bat's hearing and immediately looked over at her.

" _How are we confusing?"_

_"Because you loooooveee them!!!!!!"_

Jong Kook and Mark said to her respectively. Ivy slapped her hand onto her forehead. She really needed to remember that they both spoke English, it was starting to take a toll on her mental and physical health. She couldn't keep avoiding it though so why not at least tackle half of the problem? It's not like they didn't have plenty of time in this trip, hell she didn't even have to worry about whether or not they could use the film considering there were two other teams.

" _Because like Mark said. I love you both. I've been both you and Yoongi's fan for a long time now and now I'm caught in every fangirl's dream. You both like me... Unfortunately any way that I choose to go is going to end up with someone hurt, a career hurt, and with the added difficulty of me having to go back to the States eventually. No matter what I do this entire thing is so complicated and I can't figure out which of you I like more or which one will be less attacked if I return the feelings,"_ Ivy laid her head back on the headrest and looked out the window.

" _Well if it helps, most people don't really care all that much about what I do in my life anymore. They care if I'm winning or losing on Running Man and if I'm doing a concert but they're more wondering when I'm going to get into a relationship at this point. I was a big deal years ago but they care less now,"_ Jong Kook finally looked over at her and gave her a small smile.

" _See you say that but not only am I American and no where near an Asian decent, I'm also fifteen years younger than you. They would have a field day with that. They'd call me a gold digger. They'd say that I was just using you to further my own career and you would never hear the end of it from the press. I don't want to hurt anyone or anyone's career. BTS could lose a lot more if it came out that Yoongi and I started dating sure but you would lose a lot too. I can't be the reason for that. It would hurt too much,"_ Ivy sighed. She really wouldn't be able to live with herself if she ever hurt these two men. She really did care about them both.

" _I don't care about what people say about me anymore... I haven't for a while now. I just know that I care about you and want to be with you. I've never gotten these feelings for someone so quickly and you've got a hold on me that I can't even explain. I want to do nothing but protect you. I want to be the one you turn to when you have a problem. I want to be the one to hold you when you're upset. I don't like the idea of it being anyone else that you look at. I would never let people say those things about you. I defend you until my face turned blue if I had to,"_ Jong Kook reached over and grabbed Ivy's hand again. " _I wouldn't be able to stay in the States with you but I would visit every chance I got though and I'd bring you here whenever you wanted. Whatever I could do to make you happy I'd do it."_

Ivy didn't have time to respond though as they were finally pulling into the park that they were to have their first mission at. When Jong Kook had parked the car Mark got out of the back seat and opened Ivy's door for her and pulled her into a hug.

" _You know he's right. He's not exactly a bad choice. You should really consider him a bit more,"_ Ivy gave Mark a smile and linked her arm with his as Jong Kook came over to her side of the car and linked his arm with her other one. They walked over to the mats that were set up on the basketball court and the other teams started commenting on their appearance.

"Wae? Are you all just so happy together? When did you get so close?" Jae Suk yelled over at three of them as they approached.

"Ne, Jae Suk Oppa! We've been close since yesterday didn't you know?" Ivy gave a slight pout and tilt of her head making the other men in the cast again scream out about her cuteness.

When everything had calmed down the crew explained to them that they would be chicken fighting each other. All the teams would be competing at once and the winning team would receive two envelopes with clues about the mission they would have to complete during the chase, while second place would receive one and last place got nothing. The other two teams quickly formed an alliance saying that they needed to take out Jong Kook as quickly as possible. None of them seemed to really take Ivy into consideration which, she had to admit, slightly irritated her. She knew it was all for the best though it would give her an edge. She had done a chicken fight on her channel before and had actually been pretty good at it.

Before the other teams could get too into their planning though they were told to take their places on the mat and get ready. All of the teams quickly assumed the position and the whistle was blown. Ivy was blown away by how unstable some of the other cast members seemed to be Hadn't they done this a hundred times by now? Never the less it seemed like they really were sticking to their plan to get Jong Kook out as swiftly as possible as they all started to head for him. Ivy decided to try to attack the stragglers first figuring that Jong Kook and Mark could handle the first few that showed up. She hopped over to where Ji Hyo was trying to enter from and quickly launched herself into Ji Hyo's side causing the smaller girl to lose her balance almost immediately and fall. Well that was much easier than she thought. Ivy then turned and noticed that despite his obvious advantage the Giraffe was hanging around the outside of the group trying to take down Jong Kook and Mark though they had both managed to knock out two of the others, Gary and Suk Jin. Ivy worked her way to where she was directly behind Kwangsoo and thrust her knee into the back of his thigh with as much force as she could muster. It wasn't enough to knock him over but it was enough to apparently wound him. As he was turning around and rubbing the spot where Ivy's knee made contact she hopped into him making the both of them fall to the mats at the same time that Mark knocked over HaHa. Jong Kook and Mark quickly regrouped and knocked over Jae Suk with ease and Ivy ran over and jumped onto them both wrapping her arms around their necks. They celebrated a bit more as the other members got up and regrouped so that they could all receive their winnings. HaHa, Suk Jin, and Kwangsoo gave the other two teams envious looks as they were given their envelopes. Shortly after they were back in their cars and heading out of Seoul.

It was going to be a long two hour drive before their next mission but Ivy's team was ecstatic and celebrating as they got into their car. All thoughts of their earlier conversation almost completely forgotten. Though Ivy was seriously considering what Jong Kook had said. Maybe he really was the best choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Soooooo...... I wasn't planning for it to be like this... I had planned for Ivy to talk to Suga about this first but I guess sappy songs are against me lol... As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	11. Why So Serious?

The entire drive from Seoul to Mungyeong was fairly easy and fun. Mark had made it a point to start singing some American songs at the top of his lungs and by far his funniest was Love Game by Lady Gaga. (A/N If you want to know what I'm thinking of just go look up Markiplier Disco Stick on YouTube... It's hilarious) When Mark started singing that did it, the car became their own personal karaoke bar. Ivy hooked her phone up to the bluetooth in the car and started playing her playlist. Given that 90% of it was Kpop but who cares? She had a few fun American songs and if they ever needed to she'd just switch over to YouTubeRed and play something there. They sang to their hearts content laughing and joking about how bad the others were. Ivy and Mark teamed up to make fun of Jong Kook even though they knew that singing is what he did for a living. It was really funny to watch him get so defensive and Ivy couldn't wipe the smile off her face as the Commander made an appearance. Even when he couldn't help but let the Commander come out he was still smiling because of how brightly Ivy was shining. She was just immaculate.

"Yah!  _If you can do better why don't you prove it!_ " Jong Kook laughed as Ivy set a determined look on her face and searched through her playlist for something to sing. She decided on Summit by Skrillex. As the beat rang through the speakers Ivy closed her eyes and started to slightly dance in her seat. Jong Kook almost pulled the car over when she sang the first phrase though. She had a beautiful voice. And the soft smile on her face showed that she could feel all the emotions in the song even though there weren't all that many lyrics to the song. Jong Kook could have watched her sing all day and wished he could have but driving really needed to be something he focused on.

" _Hey! That doesn't count Missie! There were barely any lyrics!"_ Mark insisted from the back seat. Ivy laughed at him and just looked through her playlist one more time. She came across the perfect song. Neither of the boys seemed to recognize it at first but that didn't even matter to Ivy who had once again lost herself in the music. This song was everything she had ever really wanted to say to the two complications in her life and at least she would have one of them listen to it. The first verse didn't apply as much as the second but that didn't stop her from singing it fully with her heart. She had always loved this cover that RapMon and Jungkook had done but it reigned more true in her life at this exact moment than she had ever hoped it would. When RapMon's verse of Fools came up she belted it out without a single worry.

" _Oh our lives don't collide, I'm aware of this. The differences and impulses and your obsession with it. The little things, you like stick and I like aerosol. Don't give a fuuck, not giving up. I still want it all. Only fools fall for you, only fools. Only fools do what I do, only fools fall. Only fools fall for you, only fools. Only fools do what I do, only fools fall. And I see swimming pools and living rooms and aeroplanes. I see a little house on the hill and childrens names. I see quiet nights poured over ice and Tanquerey. But everything is shattering and it's my mistake,"_ Jong Kook didn't miss any of the lyrics. He just wasn't sure if he should think of it as something she was relating to him. He figured she felt like it was a stupid idea for her to fall for him or even Yoongi for that matter but he couldn't quite figure out if this had more to it. Unfortunately when the song ended he didn't get the chance to ask as T.O.P's Doom Dada came on and she immediately started dancing and rapping along with him _._

Mark and Ivy sang along and danced in their seats until it got to T.O.P's fast bit and then Ivy got the biggest smile on her face that scrunched her nose and close her eyes. It was by far her favorite part of almost any song she had ever heard and it always made her have this reaction. She could hear Mark and Jong Kook laughing and figured it had to do with the way her face looked but she couldn't care less. Ivy lived for this song. T.O.P. was her first ever bias after all. They all laughed and sang and had fun until Ivy heard Jong Kook's stomach rumble louder than the music in the car.

"Haha!  _Are you hungry Tiger?"_ Ivy giggled and looked over at him. He had turned a light shade of pink which made Ivy giggle more.

"Ne.  _I haven't eaten since about 4:30 this morning,"_  Jong Kook chuckled at Ivy's horrified face.

" _Are you kidding me?! Why were you even alive at 4:30? That is the most terrifying thing I have ever heard in my life. Oh my god..."_ Ivy shuddered at the thought. She absolutely hated mornings and in her world there was no such thing as five a.m. She couldn't possibly imagine waking up that early for a damn thing.

" _I had to work out. Can't skip leg day,"_ Mark chuckled from the back earning Ivy's attention. When she looked at him he frowned deeply closing his eyes and nodding.

" _Leg day is definitely important,"_  Ivy just rolled her eyes. These guys were crazy.

" _Well since you're hungry and if I don't eat now I'll forget to all day, let's pull over and grab something quick. I swear to god_ Oppa _if you say something about how it's not healthy and don't pull over, I will cut you,"_ Jong Kook laughed at Ivy's threat but still pulled over. They found a small street that was filled with food vendors and quickly piled out of the car to grab their food. They weren't expected at the next location for another forty five minutes and they were only about ten or fifteen away. They had been told they could stop and grab food too so they were going to quickly grab something and hopefully eat it on the way. Though unfortunately most of the food on this street seemed to require both hands to eat and Ivy wasn't going to let Jong Kook skip his meal. They quickly split off and grabbed their food, Ivy thanked the heavens that Mark's translator had been in the car behind them with their vjs. The poor boy didn't even know how to order food.

Ivy quickly grabbed some goldfish bread, mandu, and hotteok for herself before starting to head back to the car. On her way back she came across an odeng stand. Knowing that Jong Kook would probably not find much that he could eat while driving Ivy went over and grabbed a decent handful of the skewers figuring that should be enough for both her and Jong Kook to have some. She swiftly paid the ahjumma and bowed thanking her before heading back to the car. 

Ivy had already finished her goldfish bread and two of her five mandu by the time the boys got back. Mark had his arms filled to the brim with all he could carry of the street food and looked like every American when their mom shows them the buffet for Thanksgiving. Jong Kook only had a small handful of things that he could eat while driving. Exactly like Ivy had figured he would.

" _You're kidding me right? You know that you're not going to be any kind of useful if you pass out because you're hungry right?"_ Jong Kook simply chuckled and started the car getting back out onto the main road before even answering Ivy.

" _Don't worry this should be more than enough. There weren't a lot of healthy options that I could take with me,"_ Ivy simply rolled her eyes and finished off her mandu and hotteok while Jong Kook ate his small meal. When they were both done Ivy held out the first skewer of odeng to Jong Kook who gave her a weird look.

" _I knew you wouldn't get enough food so I got us both fish cakes. I swear to god_ Oppa  _I will shove this skewer down your throat if you don't eat it,"_ Ivy watched as he tried to take it from her hand and just hissed a bit at him to stop his actions. " _Uh-uh. I don't trust that you won't just try to throw it out the window. I'm feeding it to you. Get over it and eat."_

Jong Kook blushed a good five shades darker than usal and took a hesitant first bite of the odeng. Ivy smiled at him before picking up her own skewer and eating her own quickly. She made sure to check on Jong Kook to see when to feed him a new skewer and they soon started to grin and giggle at each other. That's right Kim Jong Kook giggled. It melted Ivy's heart hearing him giggle and it had to be the cutest thing she had ever seen. He didn't give her anymore problems about her feeding him and she smiled at every skewer they finished.

When they finally pulled up to the location the two other teams were already there and Jong Kook and Mark got out of the car. Ivy followed quickly but she had run out of the car with the last two odeng and grabbed Jong Kook's hand. When he turned to face her she made to hand him his skewer but he simply bit off of it taking the other one and feeding it to Ivy who went wide eyed. She finished off the skewer none the less and could hear the other members yelling at them.

"Omo! They're so cute!" JiHyo was the first to notice them this time and drew the others' attention to them.

"Wah! Already feeding one another! They are stealing your title! Gary!" HaHa yelled over towards Gary and JiHyo. Ivy simply blushed after Jong Kook took the skewers from her to throw them away and headed over to the others to get their mission.

"I feel personally attacked, Ivy-ah! Why are you trying to make things more difficult for me with JiHyo!?" JiHyo slapped his arm after his question saying something along the lines of what are you saying to him.

"Mianhe! I didn't mean to Gary-ssi. I just needed to make sure Oppa ate so we could destroy you all," Ivy bowed and had the biggest smile plastered on her face when she stood back upright. She really was a queen when it came to trash talking and she wasn't afraid to ruffle these guys' feathers a bit. It was all in good fun after all. She was taken by surprise though when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and turned to see Jong Kook smiling over at the others.

"Don't be jealous that my girl wants to take care of me and yours like to see you suffer. Green isn't a very good color on you Gary-ah," Ivy laughed whole heartedly at Jong Kook's jab and the way that Gary staggered backwards in shock at his words. It was all so entertaining.

Once this interaction had settled down the PDnims made the announcement of the game. Apparently they had showed up to Zipline Mungyeong and were going to race each other between the nine courses. The team with the fastest time would again receive two envelopes and as the second place team would receive one and last place would get none again. Ivy's eyes sparkled she really loved everything about this idea. Apparently they would have the first person go down the first zipline then when the first was successfully detached they would start the second person as the first headed to the fourth course and the third person would start as the second was detached and headed to the fifth course and so on until all nine courses were finished. If they were late gettin to their course that would be counted in their time so they were going to have to run to their courses.

This was going ot be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I've really gotten myself hyped up for this mission like omg... I love ziplines they're so much fun lol... And we all know that 90% of the Running Man cast are either terrified of heights or rides lol... I'm really looking forward to this... As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	12. Zipline Relay

The first team that arrived got to set the order for the relay and unfortunately Ivy, Jong Kook, and Markiplier had to go first. Ivy was fairly irritated at this seeing as she wasn't going to get to figure out how fast that she was going to have to go to beat the others. Ivy was honestly a little upset when Mark and Jong Kook made them play rock paper scissors to decide who would be the first to go too. Of course Ivy lost almost immediately making her the first followed by Jong Kook and then Mark. She really hoped that the fact that she was, honestly, a bit heavier than the other members would make her go down the zipline just a bit faster. She knew that it would definitely help her to go a bit faster but if the two guys didn't get fully hooked up fast enough it wouldn't be worth it. Never the less Ivy made her way to the first course and was hooked up. Over the walkie talkies that they were given, she heard Jong Kook and Mark tell her that they were ready when she was, so she raised her fist and shouted challenge at the camera. 

Ivy set off down her zipline and the immediate adrenaline rush made her stomach flip. It was the most exhilarting thing that she had done in Korea and she couldn't help but to yell out her excitment. She flew down the course with no problem and was at the bottom in what felt like no time. She quickly was disconnected from the wire and yelled into the walkie talkie for Jong Kook to go. After she was done she ran as fast as she could over to course four which was pretty far away. She was panting heavily by the time that she reached the platform and was having the staff connect her. That didn't bother her half as much as the fact that she hadn't heard Jong Kook tell Mark to go yet though. She was beginning to get worried.

" _Go Mark! Go!"_ Finally Ivy heard Jong Kook's voice and was slightly relieved. Hopefully this would be a fast enough run to make them the winners but Ivy was still filled with anxiety. She was standing on the podium to go down her second course for what felt like forever when Jong Kook passed by her.

"Ivy-ah! Hwaiting!" He yelled as he ran as fast as he could past her. She was beginning to honestly become a bit irritated that they were taking so long to finish this course. How did it take so long to zipline down a hill side? Before she could really start to worry though Mark came over the walkie.

" _Go Ivy! Kill 'em!"_ At the sound of Mark's voice Ivy pushed off of the platform, hoping that maybe the push would offer her a bit more of an opportunity to hasten their pace. She couldn't help but wonder if Jong Kook was already hooked up to his line or not.

The ride on the zipline was again a bit short lived for her liking but it was still thrilling. The view from this zipline was amazing. Yeah they were on a hill in a forrested area but it was so beautiful. This kind of sight had always been what drew Ivy to loving Korea. It was just so beautiful no matter where you were. Even the shabbiest parts of cities were beautiful here. At the bottom Ivy screamed for Jong Kook to go while starting her sprint to her last course. She ran as fast as her legs would go but she couldn't go fast enough for her liking. Ivy was really angry when she noticed that Mark was still running to his course as she passed him at a full on sprint to get to hers. She only slightly heard Mark yell at her. She wasn't sure what he said but she was sure that it was something along the lines of good luck.

Ivy got to her last course and the staff quickly hooked her up. She could only hope that Mark had made it to his and had been hooked up when Jong Kook had yelled for him to go. It wasn't too long after Ivy was fully hooked up though that she saw Jong Kook run behind her platform again making a 'Hwaiting' motion at her. It took a while but soon enough Mark was yelling for Ivy to go on her course. She flew down the last zipline and it was the shortest line yet and before she knew it she was at the bottom and running towards the finish line after yelling for Jong Kook to go.Crossing the finish line Ivy was panting and fell to her hands and knees. Ji hyo came over to her and quickly patted her back.

"Gwenchana? Breathe it's ok!" At Ji Hyo's words Ivy rolled over to lay on her back still trying to catch her breath. Ji Hyo fell to her knees and laughed at the girl in front of her.

"Unnie! I... can't... breathe! These... boys they're... killing me! Omo....." Ivy panted out as Jong Kook came running down to the finish line. He immediately collapsed next to Ivy.

"Ivy-ah... Mianhe... I don't think we did all that well... It took forever for them to hook me up... Jinja, mianhe..." Jong Kook closed his eyes still panting from his run down the hill to the finish line. Ivy just rolled onto her side and rested her head on his arm and patted his chest.

"It's okay... We had to go first anyways... I didn't think we'd win," Ivy's breath was starting to come back under control as Mark came to cross the finish line in a roll landing on his back. Ivy laughed and stood up patting Jong Kook's chest one more time.

When they finally all stood up and got into a comfortable place Kwangsoo, HaHa, and Jin Suk started their run. When they were done the final team started. It felt like the last team took no time at all and Ivy started to really worry about their chances of winning. When all the teams were gathered again they formed a semi circle around the PD's to hear the results. Last place went to the traitors yet again who had apparently suffered from some vertigo after completing their runs. Second place went to Ivy, Jong Kook, and Markiplier. While the Monday Couple plus Jae Suk won first place. Ivy was seriously upset but knowing that they hadn't come in last place was much better than coming in last.

When they had finished announcing the results they were told to go to Daegu to be able to grab dinner after their next mission. All the teams ran towards their cars knowing that Daegu was still an hour away. Once back to the car Ivy, Mark, and Jong Kook resumed their seats and started the drive. Without too much thought Ivy brought out her phone. She had a new Kakao notification from Suga and she was really curious about what he had to say now.

MinSuga93: Where are you going to have dinner?

BinguIvy: We're going to be in Daegu for dinner. I'm really not even sure what I want lol

MinSuga93: Daegu? I'm from Daegu lol

BinguIvy: I know... Did you forget that I'm a fangirl? lol

MinSuga93: I don't think you'd ever let me forget...

He sent a sweat dropping emoji afterwards making Ivy giggle.

MinSuga93: If you have the opportunity you should check this place out...

Yoongi sent her a google maps location for a restaurant.

BinguIvy: Sounds good. I really want to eat something yummy and I'm sure if you're recommending it it's delicious ^_^

MinSuga93: Of course it is! I used to eat there all the time when I was younger... To be honest I really miss it... I'm upset that I don't get to eat there with you... :(

BinguIvy: I'm sure there will be plenty of other times for us to eat together... Don't be too sad!

MinSuga93: Alright I'll be sure to treat you to a really awesome treat the next time I see you ;)

BinguIvy: Why do I not trust your winky face emoji?

Ivy sent him an emoji of himself sitting in a corner and huffing.

MinSuga93: Jinja, jagi? Jinja?

BinguIvy: WHY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THE TERM FANGIRL????

MinSuga93: I do but don't you have any other emoji's? Like seriously!

BinguIvy: I never use any of the others... I like my BTS ones...

MinSuga93: Whatever you say Jagiya...

Ivy sent a Jimin acting love struck emoji.

BinguIvy: That's mean! Yoongi! Why are you being mean to me!!!???

MinSuga93: Mianhe Jagi... I didn't mean to be mean.... I just want to treat you... You've worked really hard the past couple days and I'm sad that I don't get to take care of you today...

BinguIvy: But you get to be making music and having fun without me all day long lol

MinSuga93: It's not fun anymore if you're not beside me....

BinguIvy: Who knew that Swagasaurus Rex Suga was a cheeseball?

MinSuga93: Yah! I'm not a cheeseball!

BinguIvy: Yah! I'm still older than you! And yes, yes you are Min Yoongi! That was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard in my fuucking life omg...

MinSuga93: Uh-huh... I'm sure you've heard cheesier...

BinguIvy: No not really...

MinSuga93: Then I can be cheesier...

BinguIvy: Oh god... Please don't... I don't think I could handle that level of cuteness from you...

MinSuga93: I just wish that I could hold you in my arms to let you hear how much my heart wants only you ;)

BinguIvy: Don't... Don't you dare do this Min Yoongi! I will turn my phone off! I swear to god!

MinSuga93: Okay jagiya... I'll stop... But it's true... My hearts aching to be next to you...

BinguIvy:... Okay... Well... If you're going to keep talking like this I'm not going to respond.... We've got another forty five minutes till we get to Daegu though... I'm not happy about this ride...

Ivy sent him the same emoji of him in the corner again.

MinSuga93: Well it's ok... I'm here for you to talk to if you're bored...

BinguIvy: Komawo Yoongi-ah I'll try to grab a nap though...

MinSuga93: Alright well dream of me Jagiya!

BinguIvy: Good Night Yoongi-ah lol...

Ivy sent him an emoji of Jin sleeping and locked her phone. When she looked up she saw that Mark was resting his head right next to hers on the seat.

" _Whatcha doin' Ivy?"_  Mark wiggled his eyebrows at her.

" _Just texting Yoongi. He sent me a location for a good restaurant in Daegu. It looks pretty good,"_ Ivy turned to look at him as she spoke and caught Jong Kook's scowl.

" _Ooooooo... you know I love food,"_ Mark smirked and gave Ivy the most pedo look that he could muster.

" _You know Mark, you're a complete weirdo,"_ Ivy laughed as Mark's expression brightened even more than she thought was possible.

" _Why thank you so much! I didn't think anyone noticed!"_ Jong Kook even laughed at this making Ivy laugh even harder. She had to wipe her eyes to make sure that she wasn't crying.

The rest of their car ride was very similar. They laughed back and forth and traded jokes. It was almost as if Jong Kook had forgotten his jealousy over Ivy texting Yoongi and it was pleasent all around. Ivy couldn't have asked for anyone better to be on this roadtrip with. There wasn't a dull moment where Mark and Jong Kook were involved. Even if they hadn't won the last mission. Ivy was content with the way her day was going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I am sorry if this was too much of a filler chapter... I completely forgot that they weren't already in Daegu.... I'm sorry guys... This was honestly kind of hard to write lol.... As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	13. Pools and Friendship Goals

When they had arrived in Daegu Mark, Ivy, and Jong Kook found the Running Man marker by Duryu Park's Swimming Pools. It was going to be another water challenge today. Great. Ivy didn't really dislike these challenges but she doubted it would be quite as simple as balancing and making it across this time. Surely the PD's had something else in mind. Never the less the trio made their way over to the crew's setup and as soon as Jong Kook laid his eyes on the hydraulic chairs he groaned.

"Waeyo? Is it not enough that we went into the water yesterday? Tell me it's not a quiz at least! I've literally got two english speakers on my team!" Jong Kook sighed and went to stand in front of the chairs to wait for the other members.

"Oppa! That's mean! You don't know if we'd do badly or not! I might be pretty decent at a quiz!" Ivy stuck out her tongue as Jong Kook rolled his eyes at her, Mark just skipped around them in a circle singing the smurfs song. Yeah, they were a mature bunch for sure.

When all the teams finally gathered together, some ridiculous antics ensued. Ivy wasn't sure if it was because they had been stuck in a car for so long or if it was because they were so tired they were losing their minds. All the boys seemed to have ended up in some form of wrestling match with Kwangsoo being the center. Had he said something? Probably, it's always his fault anyways. When Ivy turned to look at the PD's she felt a sudden weight land on her back and turned her head to see Ji Hyo had jumped onto her back and was now holding onto her for dear life. Ivy locked her arms under her legs to support her.

"Ivy-ah! Let's have some fun too! The boys are all being pabos!" Ji Hyo yelled while laughing.

"Arrasseo Unnie!" With that Ivy started to spin around as fast as she could making Ji Hyo cling even tighter to her before she stopped and started to run around the PD's near where the boys were. She cut between the boys and the cameras and did a fairly well executed ballet leap garnering the attention of the PD's. Ji Hyo was in hysterics by the time they finally stopped back at their spots again.

"Ivy-ah! That was fun! How are you that strong though? I think Jong Kook's the only one of the guys who could do that with me on their backs!" Ji Hyo was leaning on her knees from laughing so hard.

"Jinja? You're really light! I can't believe that!" Ivy laughed back at her as Gary came up to wrap an arm around Ji Hyo's shoulders. If she was being completely honest, Ivy had to admit that she really did ship the Monday Couple. They were just so adorable.

"I would carry you to the ends of the Earth if you asked it of me," Gary said in his 'prince charming' voice. Ivy just laughed when Ji Hyo pushed him away and smacked his arm.

Finally the PD's rounded everyone up and started to explain the game for the day. It wasn't a quiz much to Jong Kook's pleasure but it was a game of chance pretty much. They were playing mukjippa. The teams got together to discuss and as Jong Kook didn't think he'd win and Mark didn't quite understand past the rock paper scissors part it was decided that Ivy would be the representative for their team. They got to go last though since they had been the first to arrive in Daegu which was nice considering Ivy was not super confident that she wouldn't mix it up at least once. 

The Traitors Team and the Monday Couple Team were up first and Suk Jin was surprisingly good at this game. It may have actually been one of the only times that Ivy had seen him win anything on this show. After a few rounds they were all tied up at 4-4 and the next round would determine who would face the Tiger Team. Ji Hyo threw out paper winning her the chance to try to beat Suk Jin. She quickly changed to mok still winning and then to pa which lost. Suk Jin then changed to ji and lost. Ji Hyo threw out mok and Suk Jin did too and the Traitors were thrown into the pool. With that the Monday Couple Team was set to begin the next round.

Mark quickly got onto his platform and Jong Kook got settled onto his as Ivy was nervously loosening up her wrists and fingers. She wouldn't lie she was actually scared that she would lose. They began and Ji Hyo threw out paper that lost to Ivy's scissors. Ivy called out ji and Ji Hyo threw out scissors as well sending her team flying into the air. Ivy started to feel a little bit better about her chances knowing that she had at least won one round. Another couple rounds and Ivy only lost once and was very surprised honestly. With the score at 2-1 Ivy just needed to win three more to come in first.

Ji Hyo and Ivy played hard. It was a bit funny considering that for the most part this was a game of luck or just reading your opponent well and since the two didn't know each other it was really funny to watch how they stared at each other trying to find an indication of what they were going to do. After all was said and done though, Ivy's team won with a startling  5-2 victory. After a quick celebration the teams gained their reward and they were told to break for dinner but to be ready to leave in about two hours so they could make it to Busan with enough time left in the day to film.

Mark asked Ivy for the address of the restaurant that Suga had told her about so that he could go on ahead while she was waitin for Jong Kook to finish with his manager who was fussing over his hair. She happily gave it to him and settled down to lay in the grass near the cars as Mark ran off in the direction that his phone told him to go. It had already been a long day and all Ivy wanted to do was take a nap. She hadn't really been this active for this long in probably years but damn was this all fun. As she laid there with her eyes closed she really started to think about everything that was going on in her life. Yeah, she thought about the boys but more so about the fact that she was trying to figure out what to do in her life now. She had always wanted to be in Korea and now actually being her had set it in her mind how much she really wanted to just live here. It hadn't been quite the culture shock she had been expecting considering she had tried to study up on the culture before she even thought about coming here and now she just wanted to officially move her. It was like she had finally found the bit of happiness that she had been sorely missing in her life.

Jong Kook had approached her while she was lost in her own thoughts and laid down beside her, moving to sneak his arm under her head, which startled Ivy. She jumped and turned to look at him as his face was mere inches away from hers. She blushed and was about to move away when he caught her head with the arm under it.

"What were you dreaming about just now?" Jong Kook pulled her head to rest his forehead to hers. He could already imagine himself doing this years down the road and talking about how they had first met and it made him smile. He really did care for this woman.

"Just about what I'm doing with my life," Ivy's answer seemed simple but it really was much more complicated than anything else at the moment.

"How so?" She had to admit Jong Kook seemed to have a way of telling when what she said didn't match with what she meant and it was weird for her. She wasn't normally so transparent.

"I was thinking about how I've always wanted to come to Korea and how amazing it actually turned out to be and whether or not I want to try to officially move here," Ivy sighed as she turned to face her body towards his. Jong Kook instinctively wrapped his other arm around her waist.

"I think I like that idea. I'd be able to see you more," Ivy almost frowned. Of course she liked the idea of seeing Jong Kook but she was also very aware of the fact that the offer would probably only stand if she made the decision to be with him and to an extent it hurt to think about what would happen if she chose to be with Yoongi. She had really come to like talking to Jong Kook and just being around him. It was like being with her best friend only slightly different.

"True, you would. Alright. Let's go now. Mark's probably already sitting at the restaurant waiting for us," With that the two of them got up and headed towards the street only to meet Mark at the first intersection. He quickly gave Ivy a look that clearly said 'play along' before walking over and grabbing Jong Kook.

" _Hey there Mister! I want to have some bonding time with you too! Let's go to this place down the street I hear it's got some good healthy options! Ivy won't mind, right?"_ Ivy gave him a slightly confused look before just shaking her head.

" _Nah. It's all good. I've been hogging him most of the day anyways. Don't worry go have fun. I'm sure some of the other cast went to that restaurant. I'll just hang out with them,"_  Mark gave Ivy a tight smile before turning and pulling Jong Kook down the street in the opposite direction of the restaurant that Yoongi had suggested. Ivy wasn't really sure what was going on but if Mark was interferring and taking Jong Kook away it probably had something to do with Yoongi, though she really had no idea what he could have been doing.

Ivy headed down the street and couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was even in Daegu. It was so lively that she wasn't sure why there seemed to be a general view of it being 'country' by other Koreans. It was bigger than Ivy's hometown that's for sure. She walked past some really vibrant shops selling everything you could think of. Clothes, shoes, purses, accessories, food, everything and it was just so colorful. It made her want to move here that much more. She hadn't even noticed that she was about to pass the restaurant when she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Jagiya. If you're not careful someone will come steal you away and I'll never get to see you again," Ivy jumped as Yoongi wrapped his arms around her making her stop walking. She turned around to face him and noticed he had a face mask, sunglasses and a snapback on.

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were in the studio all day?" Ivy was definitely surprised though she wasn't sure if it was good or bad at the moment.

"We finished up about two hours ago and I got my manager to okay me coming down here. Technically I'm supposed to be seeing my parents but a little lie won't hurt him. I just really wanted to see you," Yoongi pulled her more to him so that he could rest his forehead on hers. "I missed you all day."

"God. Min Yoongi when did you become such a cheeseball," Ivy chuckled as she wrapped her arms around him in a light hug. She had to admit that if she thought the choice was hard before, it definitely just became harder.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So... Sorry this took so long.... I had this thought out for a while but I just couldn't think of a good way to do the game and honestly I forgot that they weren't in Daegu yet in the last chapter so that's why it took so long. I had to get them to Daegu and I had to come up with the next mission and it was a bit tough but the dinner break had been planned for like three weeks almost lol... As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	14. Dinner Date with Suga

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So I hate myself for this chapter so I will start it the way all college essays should be started.   
> BUCKLE YOUR SEAT BELTS, MOTHERFUCKERS, BECAUSE IN EIGHT SHORT PAGES I'M GOING TO LEARN YOU A THING THAT I ONLY LEARNED ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO, SO SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE OF MY 4-AM-REDBULL-INDUCED-SELF-HATRED-FUELLED-WRITING-EXTRAVAGANZA!   
> That is all... Sorry this took so long to update....

Ivy and Yoongi headed into the restaurant and were greeted by an older woman with white hair and an almost permanent eye smile. Her smile widened even more when she saw Yoongi. He swiftly bowed an almost full ninety degrees to the old lady and smiled back at her.

"Annyeonghasaeyo halmoni. How have you been?" Ivy watched the interaction with a smile on her face. She admired the way Yoongi acted around his elders, it was just so cute.

"Aigoo! Yoongi-ah! I've been well how about you? I've heard you've been doing pretty well with your music, even my grandson is a fan," The grandmother winked and patted Yoongi on the back.

"Ah I've been doing well halmoni. Bangtan Sonyeondan is doing great. We actually went on a world tour last year," The grandmother smiled and finally her eyes landed on Ivy. "Omo! Is this your girlfriend?"

"Ah... Uh... She's uh..." Ivy watched as Yoongi floundered over what to say. It was by far one of the funniest things because his ears were starting to turn tomato red. Ivy chuckled a bit before bowing to the grandmother.

"Annyeonghasaeyo halmoni, Ivy-ibnida," The grandmother smiled wide again and bowed to Ivy before turning to look to Yoongi again.

"If she's not your girlfriend you should really hurry up before she gets snatched up," The grandmother laughed and nudged Yoongi with her elbow. She led the two over to a table where Yoongi ordered food for them both. The grandmother smiled again and headed back to what Ivy assumed was the kitchen.

"Mianhe Noona. She's a friend of the family and we used to come here all the time before I moved to Seoul to pursue music. She's really sweet but she's always trying to get me to settle down, even though I'm only twenty three. If it embarrassed you mianhe," Yoongi started inspecting his hands with a disinterested look on his face but that didn't stop Ivy from noticing the vibrant red that was still painting his ears. She chuckled a bit before shaking her head.

"Aniyo, gwenchana. A lot of my family friends do the same thing and I'm only twenty five so I get it don't worry," Yoongi chuckled and kept looking at his fingers.

"So, have you been having fun filming?" Yoongi finally looked up and caught her eyes.

"Ne. I really like working with Running Man. I got to spend some time goofing off with Ji Hyo today. She's really cool. Apparently all the guys seem to think I'm super cute in everything I do but I'm pretty sure it's just for the cameras. I really wish that I could keep doing this but I guess I do have to go home eventually huh?" Ivy chuckled but Yoongi just kept looking at her.

"Waeyo? Couldn't you just stay? I'd be really sad if you left," Yoongi looked down as Ivy felt her cheeks burn. The grandmother came by and dropped off some plates filled with delicious smelling food before Ivy could say anything and the two thanked her before she left. 

"Wah! This looks so good! No wonder you like this place so much!" Ivy and Yoongi started to eat their food and were soon lulled into silence by the fact that they couldn't stop stuffing their faces. When they were finally getting to the end of their meal though Yoongi spoke again.

"But really. Ivy, why don't you just move here? You'd still be able to do all of your YouTube stuff but you'd be able to come and hang out whenever. I'd be able to see you and you'd be able to try to get onto a show like Running Man in your free time," Ivy pushed around what was left of the rice in her bowl.

"I'd have to leave all of my friends and family though. I've always wanted to live here but at the same time I don't know. It's hard to completely uproot your life especially if you're not just moving to a different city. I'd be moving to a different country that is so far ahead. I wouldn't be able to talk to them like I do now. I have been thinking about it but it's still going to be hard. I don't really know anyone here," Ivy shrugged and Yoongi nodded his head.

"I get it. I mean, I don't really understand but I think I get it. You have to remember though that you wouldn't be alone. You do know people now. You have me and the guys, not to mention the Running Man crew who I'm pretty sure would be happy to hang out with you any time. On top of all that you're just the kind of person that people want to be around. You're so loud and outgoing and funny but it all makes people want to be around you. You just capture people's attention and I know that, at least in my case, it'll never go anywhere else. It's hard not to want to be near you all the time," Yoongi smirked at her and stood up with Ivy following suit. They went to the front where Yoongi paid and then went out onto the street. "What do you think about grabbing some ice cream really quick?"

"I think I have another hour before I have to be back to the car, so sure, why not?" Ivy smiled and bounced up the street a bit. Yoongi shook his head. Being with Ivy was a bit like being around Taehyung, you never really knew what to expect.

"Noona, you know that I really do like you right?" Yoongi asked as he came up beside Ivy, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"Uh... Well I mean you did technically confess so, unless you were lying, then yes I do," Ivy's eyes were looking everywhere but at him as he turned her to enter into a convenience store two buildings from the restaurant. Yoongi quickly picked out some ice cream and paid for it before heading back outside and leading Ivy to a park about three blocks away from the convenience store. They sat down on the swings and Ivy began to pump her legs a bit after Yoongi handed her the ice cream. He took a bite of his own and looked at the ground before he spoke up again.

"I don't want to pressure you or anything but what do you feel towards me? I don't really think I can handle not knowing much longer. It makes me anxious," Ivy stopped swinging and looked at him.

"Um... I like you too... But I'm not really sure how I like you... Like I've always been a fan so I know a whole bunch of ridiculous and useless information about you but I haven't really gotten to know Yoongi, I just know about Suga. I know that you try to be as real as possible all the time but I do know that as an idol you don't have a choice but to change somethings about yourself. I know that what you show the fans isn't always all there is. So I love you as a fan but I don't know if I can say that about you as a person yet. I still like you as a person but I just don't really know how deep it goes. I know that I like how honest you are and how straight forward you are but I don't really know much else. I like how passionate you are too but I don't know how Min Yoongi works and that's definitely holding me back a lot," Ivy looked up at the sky that was slowly turning an orange color from the sunset. 

"Daebak. You're probably one of the first fans I've met that thought that way. Everyone always seems to think they know me since I'm an idol. You're just determined to make me like you more aren't you?" Yoongi chuckled and looked up at the sky as well. It was quiet for a while before quietly asking his next question. "So do you like Jong Kook hyung?"

"I... Uh..." Ivy was flustered she wasn't really sure how to answer this question. Sure it was a good idea to tell the truth but she didn't want to hurt Yoongi's feelings. She really had to be careful about what she said. "I like him too but it's the same concept. He's my favorite Running Man member and I really love him as a fan but I don't know him that well so I can't really tell what my feelings are. I don't have enough information and I think it's going to take a lot longer than two days for me to decipher what I feel for you two. I don't want to hurt either of you but I honestly don't know if I like either of you as more than a fan. It's harder for me knowing that I'm a fan rather than if I didn't know who you guys were. If we had started off complete strangers I would be able to give you an answer by now but because I have this backlog of information about you two I can't figure out if I'm just fangirling or if I genuinely have feelings for you. I don't want to be the girl that just says yes to one of you because I'm a fan. I think that would hurt you guys more in the long run."

"Okay," Ivy looked over at Yoongi and saw how down he looked. She really hadn't meant to upset him. It almost broke her heart and she couldn't stand that look on his face. It was so much nicer when he smiled.

"Look at the brightside though. This means you're both on equal footing. Neither one of you has an advantage and I'm here for a month before I go back home. You don't have to try to rush or worry that much about it right now," Yoongi smiled a bit at that and Ivy grinned before speaking in her best Effie Trinket impersonation. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favour!"

Yoongi laughed and pushed Ivy's shoulder lightly before smiling broadly and looking back to the sky.

"How did a nerd like you ever make your way into my heart?" Ivy scoffed and pushed him back.

"I'm a geek thank you very much and I'm just really awesome that's why," Ivy sent him a big grin and eye smile while he rolled his eyes.

"You're so modest aren't you?" Ivy laughed and nodded.

"Of course! How else would I have ever been able to make people follow me on YouTube?" Yoongi laughed and stood up taking the wrappers from their finished ice cream and throwing it away before offering Ivy his hand.

"We better get you back before the PDs start to worry. I've probably got to get on the train soon too or my manager will be pissed," Ivy chuckled lightly and grabbed his hand, standing from the swing. Yoongi immediately laced their fingers and Ivy grinned a bit.

"If nothing else I know that I've had most amazing couple of days thanks to you and Jong Kook Oppa. I couldn't ask for anything more," Ivy smiled at Yoongi who smirked back.

"I still have a lot to ask for but now I'm scared I might be asking too much. Just promise me that, no matter what you choose, you'll keep in touch? Even if all we are is friends I'd rather have you in my life than lose you because of something stupid," Ivy nodded and her smile widened. How could she ever say no to that? Their walk back to the filming site was silent but it was a comfortable silence. When it was time for them to separate Yoongi gave her a long and tight hug telling her to text him if she got bored and that he'd see her soon. Ivy nodded and headed to the car, completely unaware that Jong Kook had been watching her from the car the whole time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So I have finally updated! Sorry it took so long! I've been stuck with what to do for this chapter and finally had a stroke of (RockStar Induced) inspiration and finally got it written. I'm trying to finish another story and uploaded another one not that long ago but hopefully I'll be able to update this more regularly again since I finally got past this roadblock. As Always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	15. We Need Anchors

Ivy had noticed the obvious tension when she got in the car but it seemed like Jong Kook was trying to either play it off or ignore it entirely. The only telling sign that he was upset about something was his white knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

"Did you have a good meal Ivy-ah?" His smile was tight and his eyes a bit sad as he spoke. Ivy figured this is what Mark had been trying to avoid happening but it seemed to have only made things worse. Where in the world was that idiot anyways?

"Ne, Oppa. Yoongi-ah came down from Seoul to have dinner with me apparently," Ivy figured if she told him the truth that maybe it'd improve his mood. She was wrong though.

"Ah, so that was Yoongi-ah you were hugging," His words might not have been rude but his tone was harsh and accusatory, as if she had done something wrong. It irked her and Ivy was not one to hold back her emotions or thoughts like that.

"Oppa. Don't do that. Ever. I am neither your girlfriend nor am I easy so just don't. You both have feelings for me. I get that. I have feelings for the both of you too but I just can't fully understand them yet. So if you want to not even be considered a friend anymore then go right on ahead and play the possessive game. I. Am. Not. A. Trophy," Ivy sent Jong Kook a fiery glare and he sighed looking down.

"Mianhe. You're right. I just don't like seeing other guys touching you," Jong Kook kept his head down and Ivy couldn't help it when a small smile crossed her face. He may have been a complete ass a second ago but she couldn't deny his reasonings were kind of sweet.

"It's okay, Oppa. Just don't do that to me. I get that you like me but I've been in possessive relationships before and I can't anymore. I'm not myself when I'm confined like that. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like me as much if I wasn't so outgoing and weird," Jong Kook shook his head and laughed a bit.

"You're right," Jong Kook reached out and pat Ivy's head lightly before resting his hand on the side of her neck. "I like you just as you are."

"Not to ruin the mood or anything but where the Hell is Mark? We do have to get to Busan, ya know," Ivy giggled and looked around. Suddenly  the back door or the car opened and Mark romped into the backseat.

" _Hey guys what'd I miss?"_ Ivy laughed and Jong Kook shook his head.

" _A whole bunch Loser,"_  Mark gave Ivy a look of hurt.

" _Why do you hurt me so, Ivy?"_ Jong Kook and Ivy laughed as Jong Kook started the car and exited the parking lot.

" _It's okay Markimoo! I still love you!"_ And with Ivy's last comment the trio headed off towards Busan. The trip was again filled with laughs and jokes. The last hour of their "roadtrip" was quick and not super notable.

The trio arrived on the beach and exited the car. They headed over to the flag and were told the game when the others arrived. They were playing three way tug of war. They were told to open the envelopes they had won in the previous challenges and the Traitors Team were given the one remaining envelope so that they weren't at such a horrible disadvantage. The cards told them to pick a certain number of people with a certain trait from the crowd that had gathered and before they knew it the teams were settled. The Monday Couple Team had twenty extra people, mainly college guys, the Traitors Team had ten, all school kids in uniforms, and Team Tiger had fifteen people, all athletes. Everyone began to get in position and strategize, meaning that Coach Kkuk had come out. He kept telling all the guys to get the strongest up front and Ivy rolled her eyes before yelling.

"Yah! Oppa! We need anchors! Put some of our strongest at the back to hold ground!" Ivy's look of irritation was indisputable and Mark cowered a bit beside her.

"What do you mean anchors?! We need our stongest to pull everyone back though!" Coach Kkuk was definitely a cocky son of a bitch Ivy'd give him that.

"Have you ever even won tug of war? I can't remember but one episode of Running Man where you did and you were alone! I know what I'm doing Kim Jong Kook! Do not mess with me! You five! Yeah! You! The baseball players! Go to the back! Everytime you get slack step back and dig yourself into the ground! If they can't move us we'll win! You five! The soccer players! Get in the middle! You too Mark! Take steps back and pull with all your might but don't jerk! Don't let up, just continuous pulling! Jong Kook! You and the rest get up front! I swear to god Oppa if you do that jerk crap I normally see I will end you!" Jong Kook came up and faced Ivy with an almost irritated look on his face.

"Yah! We're going to lose like this! Why are you taking over?" Ivy fastened a wide eyed glare on him and his resolve faltered.

"Because unlike you I know what I'm doing! Get in place! I refuse to lose because of your bad coaching so you had better listen to me!" Ivy yelled before heading to her spot on the end so she could ring the bell. Jong Kook sighed and went to his mark. Shortly after the whistle was blown and Team Tiger followed Ivy's orders. They slowly pulled the other teams towards themselves and the boys in the back anchored all their weight to the ground not giving the other teams any slack. Before too long Ivy was within arms length of the bell and had reached out to ring it. Team Tiger had won the first round in under a minute.

Jong Kook turned an amazed gaze to Ivy, who simply flashed a smug smirk at him. The team cheered and set themselves back up for, what Ivy hoped, was the last round. The whistle blew and quickly Team Tiger was back in sync following Ivy's plan. They pulled and anchored themselves and slowly reached the bell that Ivy rang with a loud victory yell. They had won the Korean Tour race. Team Tiger all screamed out and jumped into a group huddle the guys made quick work of picking up Ivy and carrying her on their shoulders over to the podium where they were going to win their award. The crowd participants bowed out and yelled in glee at their victory from their spot about a hundred feet from the podium. The PD's came over and anounced that officially Team Tiger had won and the three were given six gold bars in a case. Jong Kook, Ivy, and Mark quickly grabbed their two bars out of the case and yelled again in happiness before Jae Suk began his outro for the episode.

Once the filming was done, Ivy went over to stand on the beach to stare at the ocean. It really was gorgeous here and now she wondered why she had ever complained about having to drive there. Slowly she sat down and took out her phone to video chat with Angie. Surely she was out of class now. Angie picked up on the first ring.

" _Oh my god you're actually video chatting me? I feel special,"_  Angie beamed at Ivy who just rolled her eyes.

" _Of course I am. I miss your stupid ass,"_ Ivy smiled a bit and turned the camera towards the ocean. " _You're only like a couple thousand miles that way but I can still feel your weirdness from here."_

"Unnie!  _That was mean! But I miss you too. So you're gonna be there for what another three weeks?"_  Angie pouted at Ivy and the elder giggled a bit.

" _Yeah but I might make the stay a little longer. I can do some really nifty videos here and I'm really digging this whole road trip idea now. It's pretty clutch,"_  Angie laughed at Ivy as she used her old slang before she cut herself off with a gasp. Ivy gave her a stange look before noticing that someone was in her camera. "Oh hey Oppa. What are you up to?"

"I came to see what you were doing all the way over here by yourself. I didn't realize you were talking to someone though so I'll leave," Angie teapot squealed when Jong Kook spoke and Ivy almost dropped her phone.

"Don't leave Oppa! I'll never get another chance to talk to you like this! Ivy's been a mean Unnie and hasn't introduced me!" Angie yelled.

"Yah! I was going to introduce you! I just didn't know he was free right now!  _Damn,"_  Ivy huffed as Jong Kook came to sit next to her on the sand, leaning in so his face was right next to Ivy's making her blush.

"Annyeong. Nice to meet you, Kim Jong Kook ibnida," His smile was bright and made Ivy turn to look at his profile with a soft smile on her face. Angie noticed and teapot squealed again.

"Annyeonghasaeyo. Lopez Angie ibnida. You two are so adorable!  _Oh my god!"_ Ivy turned back to the camera and gave a wide eyed look to her friend before Jong Kook started laughing.

"Jinja? I think we look good together too," Jong Kook turned and looked at Ivy with a soft smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in closer to him.

" _Angie, I swear to god I'm going to kill you when I get back home,"_ Ivy couldn't help but notice the way that Jong Kook visibly deflated when she mentioned going home but she was far more focused on her friend who was now trying to give the cutest look she could muster.

" _But I'm cute. And you love me. And you'd be bored without me,"_ Ivy rolled her eyes.

" _Not to mention she seems to have good taste,"_ Ivy turned to face Jong Kook with a big question mark written on her features. " _What? She thinks we're adorable. That means she has good taste."_

_"I think there are times when I hate you both,"_ Ivy brought up her hand to cover her face as the two joined in laughing at her a bit. They talked for a while more, Jong Kook trying to get to know Angie a bit, especially after Ivy said she was one of her best friends, and Angie trying to make not so subtle hints that she really shipped IvyKook.

" _I think IvyKook is legit my new favorite thing. I might have to write a story about this,"_ Ivy looked at the camera with a scowl on her face. Now there wasn't even an attempt at subtlety? Really?

" _You didn't forget that he speaks English did you? You're doing this on purpose just to irritate me right?"_ Angie flushed and Ivy knew that unfortunately she was wrong. Angie really had forgotten in the span of five minutes. Way to go Goldfish Angie.

" _What kind of story would you write? Would I get to read it?"_ Jong Kook questioned with a smile on his face.

" _No. Never. I would never let that happen and Angie you promised me when I got popular on YouTube that you wouldn't write a fanfiction with me in it, or that you'd at least change my name!"_ Angie gave Ivy another pout.

" _But this is too adorable to not write about! And why wouldn't you let him read it? I wouldn't do anything weird in it!"_ Jong Kook gave the two a weird look.

" _What is fanfiction?"_ Ivy shook her head at him.

" _Trust me. You don't want to open that can of worms."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So the challenge in this chapter was a work of art to me lol I am really proud of it. The ending might be a bit weird but who doesn't love it when a story becomes self aware? lol... Anyways I hope you enjoyed it! As Always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	16. YouTube Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Just so you know since it's only Ivy and Mark in this chapter I didn't bother italicizing because I'm lazy... They're speaking English except for the bits in Ivy's video... You'll see what I mean...

The cast and crew ended up staying the night in Busan, so when Ivy woke up she was greeted by the sound of waves crashing. She smiled having forgot she left her windows open the night before. Everything was peaceful. For about two minutes. A pounding on her door startled Ivy as she stood from the bed. She made her way over to the door and looked through the peephole finding Mark standing there. She rolled her eyes and opened the door.

"Mark, I haven't even gotten myself ready for the day. What do you want?" Ivy half groaned at him.

"I was just going to ask if you were going to film anything here before we have to catch the train. If not, wanna help me?" Ivy gave him a dead panned look.

"Of course I'm going to film but we have like four hours before we need to get to the train station. Why don't we both just film together?" Mark beamed at her and nodded frantically. "Alright give me like twenty minutes to get myself together."

Without waiting for a reply Ivy went back into her room and closed the door. She quickly did some light make up and got herself dressed opting to leave her purple hair down and straight, it'd take too long to curl. After what felt like an arduous process, Ivy deemed herself fit to be filmed. She quickly grabbed her camera and over night bag she had brought before double checking that she had everything and headed out to the hallway where Mark was waiting for her. They both smiled at each other before heading to the elevators.

'So have you had enough time to sort out your feelings?" Mark asked as he pressed the down button.

"Not really. Why?" Ivy gave him a questioning look that he simply waved off.

"I'm invested in the outcome now. I didn't try to distract Jong Kook for nothing yesterday. I figured if you got some one on one time with them you'd be able to make a decision," Mark shrugged a bit when Ivy's jaw dropped at him.

"It's not that simple Mark!" Ivy smacked his shoulder and Mark grabbed at the spot she had hit giving her an affronted look.

"How is it not?! They're just guys!" Ivy shook her head.

"That's the thing, they're not JUST guys. they're famous guys and I'm their fan. I don't know them and I don't believe in love at first sight," Mark gave her a confused look.

"But you do know them. Not only are you a fan, with ridiculously extensive knowledge of them I might add, but you've just spent almost the last forty eight hours with one getting to know him and you have talked to Yoongi nonstop since the day you met him. Hell, he made a trip to Daegu just to see you. For an idol he sure does have a lot of free time," Mark stroked his chin as he thought over his last comment.

"Actually he really doesn't. He texted me last night saying how his manager scolded him because he came to Daegu. Apparently the way he had asked to see his parents made it sound like they were in Seoul not Daegu and then to top it off his manager found out he didn't even see his parents. He said he almost lost his phone privileges too. He's pretty much grounded now. They have a comeback soon," Ivy said as they stepped into the elevator heading to the lobby.

"Damn. That boy's got it bad for you Ivy," Mark said thoughtfully. "Jong Kook does too though. He told me at lunch yesterday taht he got scolded by the PDs for the way him and Yoongi acted during filming the other day. His manager was upset too. Something about protecting his image."

"Ugghhh... None of this helps! What am I supposed to do? I keep getting them into trouble inadvertently and I haven't even known them that long!" Ivy covered her face with her hands to quell the exasperation.

"It's not you getting them in trouble it's their own fucking fault. If you want to end it though it'd probably be best to make a decision soon," Mark said as he patted Ivy's back. Ivy sighed as they exited the lobby to go film. Mark had dropped the subject but Ivy was still thinking hard about it. How was she supposed to make a decision if she couldn't spend but a limited time with either of them?

Mark lead them to a plaza area near the hotel before he decided it was a good enough spot to film. He quickly grabbed Ivy's hand and pulled her to the center of the plaza before finishing the set up on his camera to film them. Before she could really register what was happening, Mark was starting his opening.

"Hi guys! I am Markiplier and I'm here with my new friend BinguIvy. We're in Korea! And more specifically Busan! We just finished a really big project together but unfortunately I can't talk about yet but soon I promise! I'll let you know all about it! Anything you Think we can get away with saying Ivy?" Mark sent her his signature goofy grin and Ivy smiled back before looking to the camera.

"Annyeonghasaeyo! BinguIvy ibnida! Hi guys I'm BinguIvy and Markiplier and I just finished something no YouTuber has done before! All we can really say is that if you like our challenge videos you should look forward to it! We worked really hard the past couple days and it's going to definitely be interesting to see how it turns out. Please give us your support and will keep working hard to put out the content you love! Thanks for watching! Kamsamnida!" Ivy bowed to the camera and Mark picked up from where she left off

"Thank you guys so much for bearing with me. I know I haven't uploaded like I normally do but this is a HUGE project. I promise I'll have some new videos up for you soon. If you haven't already, Head over to BinguIvy's channel and subscribe to her, especially if your into kpop or Korean things, or even if you just want to see more challenges. I'll have a link in the description. Again just thank you for your patience and as always I'll see you... in the next video! Buh-bye!"

 When Mark was done Ivy set up her own camera, calling Mark to get into frame with her.

"Annyeonghasaeyo! BinguIvy ibnida! Hey guys I'm BinguIvy and welcome back to my channel! Today I have Markiplier with me because we just finished a really big project! If you didn't already know, I fulfilled every fangirls dream and came to Korea. This is where I met Markiplier and where we've gone where no YouTuber has gone before! Wanna know what it is? Well unfortunately I can't tell you that quite yet but I will in about a week or two depending on when we're told that we can talk about it. Anything you want to say Markimoo?" Ivy snapped her head over to mark in a manner reminiscent of Jungkook in the 'pardon' video.

"Guys I think you're really gonna love it when you find out what we did! There's suspense, mystery, competition, betrayal, and even romance! I can't wait until you get the full story! I look forward to the comments!" Mark turned and smiled widely at Ivy who rolled her eyes.

"Well, first of all, no, the romance is not between us. Just want to clear that out before my comments section blows up with the power of fangirl. Second, it is a crazy story that I can't wait to tell you guys about. Third, if you haven't yet head over to Markiplier's channel and subscribe! I'll put a link in the description. Thank you for watching! Kamsamnida!" With a slight bow to the camera Ivy turned it off and started to look around the plaza. It really was a beautiful area filled with pretty shops and restaraunts. Before she could really get too much of a look though Mark had grabbed her arm and pulled her into a cafe that was close by telling her they needed coffee. Ivy simply rolled her eyes but went on to the counter and ordered for the two of them before going to find a nice seat near a window.

"So tell me. Is one making more head way than the other?" Ivy should have known that Mark hadn't actually let the subject go but was just giving her time to think a bit more. That didn't make it any less exhausting to think about though.

"I don't know. Jong Kook is a really sweet guy that seems like he just really wants someone to get him on a level past his fame and competitiveness. Yoongi is a really sweet goofball that seems like he just wants someone that can see past his grandpa facade to his playfulness. Both of them really do embody the idea of what I look for in a guy but I just don't know. It's really hard to get past the age gap with Jong Kook but it's really hard to over look how hard things would be if I chose Yoongi. Either way it's going to garner a lot of attention from the public and I'm not quite sure I'm really ready for any of it. I really don't want people to talk bad about either one of them. They don't deserve it, they're too nice," Ivy said as she hung her head.

"Why does it matter what people think?" Mark gave her a look daring her to give him a real reason. She of course did, at least she thought it was a legitimate reason.

"They're famous Mark. Yoongi is still just starting out. He just dropped his mixtape a few weeks ago and they're about to release their new album. He could really damage his career being with me. Music is his dream, his passion and I don't want to have a hand in destroying it. Jong Kook is more well set in his career but he could potentially lose work on certain shows if a scandal happened with our age gap. People could still see it as inappropriate for him to be there and that could really destroy his career. I don't want to do that to them and unfortunately I think I'm the only one seeing it that way," Ivy's last comment was more a puff of air than anything as a worker set down their coffees and went back to the kitchen.

"You are the only one seeing it like that. Why do you have such a lack of faith in people? Maybe they'd be happy about them getting into a relationship. Maybe they would really love you and hope you two were forever. You never know. Besides it's not like you'd have to go public with your relationship right off the bat. Don't most people here wait months or even years to tell people about their relationship? You'd have plenty of time and by then who cares what they say? Who knows you might become a huge star out here and they might really like that you two are together. Whoever you choose is going to be lucky to be with you. You're looking too far into it. You need to look at the smaller picture for now. I know big picture is usually best but you're not accounting for everything in the smaller picture so take your time. Just look a bit more at the next couple of months rather than the couple years down the road," Mark ended his speech with a long gulp of his iced coffee and sat back in his chair giving Ivy a look that said 'You know I'm right' making Ivy sigh.

"Okay. You have a point. I guess I need to stop focussing on other people and more on them," Ivy took a sip of her coffee and leaned back looking out the window.

"Okay. With that out of the way, who's making more headway in your heart?" Mark asked leaning forward as Ivy smiled before giving her answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So... I'm sorry I've been MIA for a while... I'm working about 50 hours a week now but I keep trying to write as much as possible. I've still got to finish a story and update others that I'm working on but I'm trying I promise. Also I have no idea what happened with the formatting for this chapter I'm sorry if it's irritating... What do you think is Ivy's answer? As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	17. Someone Named Angie Is Dead When I Get Home

The trip back to Seoul had definitely been uneventful and while Ivy was happy that she could truly relax she was also a bit upset that she couldn't have any of the Running Man members with her. Ji Hyo had to go early in the morning to film but had promised a full weekend of girl time for the two of them when she was done on Friday, which Ivy was very excited for, Jaesuk had to get back to film as well, HaHa and Gary had to go to their respective studios, and Jong Kook had to prepare for a concert. Ivy hadn't been able to catch what Kwang Soo and Suk Jin were up to. So on the train her only companion was Mark who was now sound asleep across from her. Ivy gave a small grin at the sleeping man in front of her before looking out the window to watch the scenery fly by and before she knew it she was being sucked into her own thoughts.

Ivy thought back to what had happened earlier in the morning when she had gone to the cafe with Mark and all of the advice he had given her. Sure, he had a lot of really good points but could she really let herself stop thinking about the consequences on the two men's careers? If she could her choice was obvious, or at least to her it was, but if it was so obvious why did she feel bad about it? Was it because she didn't want to hurt the other one or was it because she was making her decision based on what she knew prior to meeting them?

**Flashback to the cafe**

“ _Okay. With that out of the way, who's making more headway in your heart?_ ” Mark asked leaning forward as Ivy smiled before giving her answer.

“Min Yoongi,” Ivy felt her stomach drop a bit with her answer. What in the world?

“ _You don't look so convinced,”_  Mark said tilting his coffee so that the straw pointed at her.

“ _I don't know Mark. It's true, Yoongi is the one that has made my heart flutter and given me butterflies more but Jong Kook has done the same thing. It's a really hard choice that I'm in no way ready to make. I just want to make sure that I don't make the wrong decision and hurt them. It's really hard,”_ Ivy picked at the sleeve around her coffee cup, trying to occupy her mind with anything that wasn't the thought of what Jong Kook's face would look like had he heard what she just said.

“ _Well I know I sound like I've been rushing you and all but don't worry about it so much. Take your time but make sure that you get to spend some time with them. If you don't then you'll never really know which one you choose,”_ Mark reached out and laid his hand on Ivy's that had been picking at the sleeve to calm her nerves. “ _I think you'll make the right choice.”_

_**_ End Flashback**

“ _If you keep frowning like that you'll get wrinkles,”_  Ivy looked over at Mark who was now rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Ne, Oppa,” Ivy laughed as Mark gave her an are-you-serious look.

“ _I may not know Korean but I will have you know that I do know yes and no now, thank you very much,”_ Mark crossed his arms defiantly making Ivy laugh again. “ _Are you still caught up on what to do with those guys?”_

“ _Honestly? Yes. I have no idea what to do. I feel bad for saying that I like Yoongi more because it's not like he's winning by a landslide or anything and I'm worried that I only feel like that because I'm his fan,”_ Ivy let out a sigh and then slouched in her chair.

“ _Well why don't you try to go on a date with them? You know, an actual date, no cameras, no time limit, no ridiculously harsh penalty for leaving,”_ Ivy laughed as Mark reminded her about Yoongi's situation.

“ _I would I just don't think it's appropriate. It's not like I can actually go on a date with them and it not make the news. People would flip their shit if they found out that I had been on a date with them,”_ Mark shook his head and rolled his eyes at her answer.

“ _Well it'd be like that for a long time anyways right? Maybe you should go on a date that you would actually have with them if you were in a relationship. You know, give them a test drive. Wait. That sounds dirty. Don't test drive them. Test the waters. Yes, that sounds much better,”_ Ivy laughed again and shook her head.

“ _You know I'm really happy you're the same when you're Markiplier and when you're just Mark,”_ Ivy smiled and Mark puffed out his chest.

“ _Why thank you citizen! I appreciate your accurate description of my amazing super power,”_  Ivy couldn't help but laugh as he whipped off his glasses and wriggled his eyebrows at her.

“ _What did I do to deserve a friend like you?”_ Before Mark could answer her the speaker over head announced their arrival to Seoul, which Ivy translated. They both got off the train and hailed a taxi to take them to their hotels. Mark was heading back to the states the next day, unfortunately, and this was their last chance to hang out.

“ _Look, don't let what anyone else is going to think influence you. The only thing that matters is how you feel at the end of the day. I still think you should go on a date with them and see how it turns out but its up to you. If you need me, you have my number, call me. I don't care what I'm doing, I'll answer and help you. I know you don't have a lot of time here and you need to figure this out before you leave,”_  Mark said as he leaned over to give Ivy one last hug before getting out of the cab.

“ _Thank you Mark. I really appreciate it. I'll give it a shot. Be safe and let me know when you get back okay? And same goes for you. If you ever need me for anything just call me,”_ Ivy said giving him one last squeeze before he got out and waved at her as the driver started to pull away.

“Ah. I miss that. Young love is the best,” Ivy almost choked when the taxi driver spoke up.

“Aniyo ajusshi. He's just my chingu,” Ivy waved her hands in front of her face as the driver looked at her in his rearview mirror.

“I've never seen a someone look at their chingu the way he looked at you,” Ivy simply waved her hands in front of her face again and the driver shrugged. The rest of the way to the hotel Ivy spent texting Yoongi. She didn't want to look up from her phone and risk the driver trying to insinuate Mark was in love with her. Thankfully Yoongi was on a break and available as a viable distraction.

BinguIvy: Annyeong Yoongi-ah! What are you up to?

MinSuga93: Annyeong Jagi. We're taking a break from dance practice. They're killing me with this shit.

Ivy couldn't help but giggle at the knocked out Jay-G emoticon that he attached.

MinSuga93: What are you up to Jagi?

BinguIvy: Not much just heading back from the train station. My taxi driver thought that Mark was in love with me lol

MinSug93: Am I going to have to hide you away to keep other guys away from you?

BinguIvy: Ha ha very funny Min Yoongi.

MinSuga93: Wae? Is it wrong that I don't like other guys looking at you?

BinguIvy: Well since I'm not your girlfriend you may be pushing it a bit.

MinSuga93: Arrasseo. How long until you're my girlfriend then?

Ivy snorted a bit and shook her head. He was definitely persistent, she'd have to give him that.

BinguIvy: I don't know. When do you think you'll be able to get some free time?

MinSuga93: We're going to have a two day break in about a week. Waeyo?

BinguIvy: I was wondering if maybe we could go on a date. I know we wouldn't be able to really “go out” or anything but I think it'd help if I could know what I'm getting myself into.

MinSuga93: So you want a test date to see if you'll actually be my girlfriend?

BinguIvy: I guess it sounds worse than it did in my head...

MinSuga93: Ani, I think it's a good idea.

MinSuga93: Are you going to do this with Jong Kook hyung?

MinSuga93: Just curious...

BinguIvy: Honestly?

BinguIvy: Yeah... That was the plan...

BinguIvy: This is a really hard decision for me...

BinguIvy: Mianhe...

MinSuga93: Aniyo. It's okay I just wanted to make sure that I knew before I got my hopes up too high.

MinSuga93: Wouldn't want to think you'd already made your choice only to get dumped right?

BinguIvy: Mianhe... I'm a horrible person aren't I?

MinSuga93: Aniyo. I get it. I couldn't imagine being in that situation myself so I get that you're just trying to do the best you can.

BinguIvy: Arrasseo. Can you do me a favor though?

MinSuga93: Ne, anything for you Jagi.

BinguIvy: Can you act like yourself around me? I feel like you're being super cheesy because you think that's what I want but I want to get to know Min Yoongi remember?

MinSuga93: Alright, one sarcastic, blunt, emotionally repressed man at your service.

BinguIvy: lolol... You are really something else Yoongi-ah.

MinSuga93: Just because you don't understand my genius doesn't make it nonexistent lol

BinguIvy: Genius? Who in the world ever called you a genius?

MinSuga93: You did in your videos reviewing our albums.

BinguIvy: I thought you didn't speak English?

MinSuga93: Subtitles are a wonderful thing.

BinguIvy: Wait I thought you said you hadn't seen all of them? The last one for you guys had to be like what, a year or two ago? Did you go back and watch them after we met?

MinSuga93: Why wouldn't I?

BinguIvy: Omo! I talked about a lot of things I never thought you'd hear!

MinSuga93: Oh you mean the fanfiction video?

BinguIvy: Oh god, tell me you didn't watch that.... Please!

MinSuga93: How was your favorite Bangtan fanfiction about Taehyung? You couldn't find one about me?

BinguIvy: Oh god... Stop talking please....

MinSuga93: You even said the main character was biased to me before the pairing! Are there no good stories about me?

BinguIvy: You really have no idea what you're talking about please god just stop.... This is really embarrassing...

MinSuga93: You wrote a Monsta X story but you can't write a story about me?

BinguIvy: How did you know that????

MinSuga93: Someone named Angie mentioned it in the comments...

BinguIvy: Someone named Angie is now dead when I go back home....

MinSuga93: Hey I've got to go we're going to start practicing again... I'll message you with the details for our date later.

BinguIvy: Min Yoongi you better forget what you heard!

MinSuga93: Never Jagi! Never!

Ivy simply locked her phone and looked around. The cab was pulling into her hotel and now all she wanted to do was go to her room and crawl into her bed and never come out. This had to be one of the most embarrassing things that had ever happened to her. Since when had there been subtitles on her videos?

Pushing those thoughts aside Ivy paid the driver and headed into the hotel. She pulled out her phone when she entered her room and checked the time. It was still early in the evening and Jong Kook's concert hadn't started so she sent him a quick message telling him good luck and to give her a call when he was done. His reply was quick, he thanked her and told her he would. With that done all that was left was to get herself some dinner and figure out what she was going to do for the rest of her stay in Korea. It was going to be a long month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So sorry that I've been gone for so long!!!!! I couldn't figure out what I was going to do with this... This is the second story I've done that I didn't have a set plot line in mind so my inspiration has been on and off with it. I will try to have more soon though because I think I've finally got an idea of how I want this to go... Plus I had to go on ahead and decide on the pairing now though because it was important for how this story is going to go.. I won't say what it is though! Also if anyone has any ideas for a cover or knows someone who can make one I would love to find one for this story lol... As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	18. Yoongi Date Night

Ivy had her dates set. She'd be spending time at Yoongi's dorm that Saturday night and having a drink with Jong Kook on Monday. It would be an understatement to say that she was nervous. She spent so much of that week worrying about what to wear and how to do her hair and what to say that she didn't even get to go sight seeing. Angie told her she was worrying too much and that her overthingking wasn't helping but she couldn't stop herself. She even called Angie as she was heading out for her date with Yoongi.

“ _Girl! Stop! He likes you and you know it! What could you possibly do to change that? Hell, he already knows about the fanfictions!”_ Angie said trying to calm Ivy down.

“ _Yeah, I'm still mad about that by the way. Why did you do that? Like, what the hell Ange?”_ Ivy said exasperatedly.

“ _I didn't think he'd read it! Hell I never knew there were Korean subs on your videos!”_ Ivy huffed. Angie was right of course.

“ _Yeah, I know. I'm really nervous though. What if I'm not what he expects? What if he's underestimated me?”_ Ivy finally walked out of her hotel room and headed to the lobby to get a cab.

“ _I think he's probably overestimating you honestly. I mean, you are a bit extra in your videos. Don't get me wrong, you're extra in real life but even more so in your videos,”_ Ivy sighed a bit as she walked out of the lobby to the cab that had been hailed for her. She quickly gave the address and the driver took off.

“ _Yeah I guess you're right. I'm just scared I'm going to disappoint him. I don't want to squander my chance at every fangirl's dream, ya know?”_ Ivy said resting her head against the seat.

“ _You'll be fine. Now, stop worrying and go get your man!”_ Ivy rolled her eyes and said her goodbyes to Angie just as the cab pulled up to a nondescript apartment building. She paid the driver and headed in. She made her way to the seventh floor and knocked on the door corresponding with the number that Yoongi had given her. Immediately she heard the boys screaming and rushing around behind the door. When the door opened, Jungkook was standing behind it. When he locked eyes with Ivy, his widened and he stared at her for a minute before turning like a robot and walking back into the dorm.

“Hyung! Hyung! She's here!” Ivy heard Jungkook yell as he disappeared into the dorm. Yoongi came into view shortly afterwards with a gummy smile on his face.

“Hey Jagi. Come on in. Mian about the Maknae,” Yoongi said leading her to the living room.

“Gwenchana. I wish he'd stop being scared of me. He's the cutest little baby bunny ever,” Yoongi grabbed Ivy and turned her to face him.

“Jinja, don't ever tell him that. That boy is spoiled enough as it is,” Ivy giggled a bit and shook her head as Yoongi let her go.

“I can't make any promises. He's just so adorable. He's like my son,” Yoongi face palmed and plopped onto the couch.

“Whatever. So I figured we could watch The Wailing. I haven't seen it yet,” Yoongi said as he motioned for Ivy to sit next to him. Ivy cautiously sat down, leaving a bit of space between them.

“Sounds good to me. I've been meaning to watch that one,” Ivy said as Yoongi finished setting up the movie and scooted closer to her, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Ivy blushed but leaned in closer to him.

He pressed play and the movie started. It wasn't all that scary but it was pretty creepy. As they got to the end of the movie it was a bit scarier, making Ivy grab onto Yoongi. Suddenly a scream pierced the silence and a weight attached itself to Ivy. Ivy screamed in response, throwing her arms around Yoongi and tucking her face into the crook of his neck. Yoongi's hands instinctively went to her back and to run through her hair comfortingly. He'd be lying if he said this wasn't the exact reason he chose this movie.

Yoongi looked over Ivy's head to see it had been Hobi that had scared her. The boy was practically crawling onto Ivy's lap, making Yoongi scowl. Ivy was his date, his girl.

“Hobi, what the hell?” Yoongi asked still holding onto Ivy who was slowly turning to look at Hoseok.

“I was going to the kitchen to get something to drink and then that demon was there and it scared me. Mianhe hyung, I didn't mean to interrupt your date. That was scary though! Why would you watch that on a date?” Yoongi just gave Hobi a blank look before looking down at Ivy and back to him. He seemed to get it then. “Ah, arrasseo. Gotcha.”

Hobi stretched and leaned into the back of the couch, loosening up his muscles that were still a bit tense with fear. When he didn't move to get up though, Yoongi cleared his throat, drawing his attention. He made a get out motion at the recovering ball of sunshine, who simply muttered an 'oh right' before getting up and leaving the two alone on the couch again.

“Gwenchana?” Yoongi asked noticing that Ivy hadn't moved from his shoulder. She simply nodded into his shoulder, slowly pushing her face into his neck. Yoongi turned bright red at her actions. It had been a long time since he'd been able to be with someone like this. He cleared his throat and shifted around so that he could pull Ivy closer to him. “I know I might be asking for too much but please, choose me.”

His voice was barely a whisper and it almost broke Ivy's heart. It was so desperate and pleading and not at all the Yoongi she knew. It was hard for her to bring herself to respond.

“Yoongi,” Ivy began but couldn't answer as Jimin and Taehyung came falling into the living room.

“Hyung! I told you we'd get caught! This is all your fault!” Jimin yelled as Rap Mon came into the room rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“How even? There's not a door there! How did you just fall in here like you've been eaves dropping? That doesn't make any sense,” Ivy said getting up to look down the hallway. She was met with a wide eyed Jungkook attempting to sneak away. “Okay, I would be mad at you Kookie but you're so freaking adorable! _Oh my god!”_

Ivy went over and quickly hugged the shocked Maknae to her. He didn't fight it but he did stiffen up. Once he realized she wasn't letting go until he returned the hug, he hesitantly patted her back.

“I told you not to tell him that! He's so spoiled and you're just going to make it worse!” Yoongi called from his spot on the couch.

“Too bad Min Yoongi! This is my child! My Baby Bunny and I will spoil him however much I choose to!” Ivy chuckled letting go of Jungkook and ruffling his hair. “Aigoo, you are the cutest child ever.”

“Kamsamnida?” Jungkook responded with a worried look on his face. “Hyung? Why is your girlfriend looking at me like that?”

Yoongi came around the corner finally and saw the eye smile on Ivy's face and simply shook his head before leaning against the wall. She was the most adorable thing he had ever seen.

“She's a fangirl. It's just what she does Kookie. Don't worry, I'm her favorite, remember?” Yoongi smirked and Ivy turned and gave him a deadpanned look.

“You're the one I'd most like to date of Bangtan, yes but, I don't know, I love Jungkook like a son. There's no way to really measure which one of you I love more. It's a different kind of love,” Ivy shrugged and Yoongi grabbed at his heart in mock hurt.

“I am so offended. Maybe I should just leave you two alone?” Yoongi said, sarcasm dripping from every word. He gave Jungkook a light glare whenever Ivy wasn't looking though. She patted Jungkook on the head one last time before turning and going over to hug the pouting rapper.

“Did you not hear me say that you're the one I want to date the most? Are you really that dim witted? I thought you were supposed to be a genius,” Ivy said hugging him a little tighter. Yoongi rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Ivy in return.

“I am a genius,” Ivy scoffed and tried to pull away but Yoongi wouldn't let her. “See? You fell into my trap and now I'm not letting go. I've outsmarted you, though it wasn't very hard.”

“Are you calling me a pabo?” Ivy said with an offended tone.

“Well you're definitely more stupid than I am,” Yoongi laughed at the affronted face that Ivy made.

“That's it! _You're gonna get it Min Yoongi!”_ Ivy immediately began attacking his sides trying to tickle him and try as he might Yoongi eventually began laughing and trying to get her off of him. She was much stronger than he thought though and after a few minutes of her relentless torture he finally surrendered.

“Okay! Okay! I give up! Mianhe!” Yoongi yelled as Ivy let up on her assault. She was laughing almost as much as Yoongi was.

“So what are we going to do now?” Ivy said moving out of the now deserted hallway and into the living room. The other boys had disappeared into their rooms during Ivy's tickle attack.

“Well we could always watch another movie,” Yoongi said putting his hands in his pockets as he walked back into the living room.

“Okay sounds good to me,” Ivy said as she plopped back down onto the couch to wait for Yoongi.

“Train to Busan sound good?” Yoongi looked over his shoulder to see her nodding vigorously. He quickly set up the movie and came to sit next to Ivy pulling her to his side as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“I love this movie so much, _like oh my god._ Daddy of the year and my baseball player are awesome. Not to mention that Gong Yoo looks damn good,” Ivy said as she cuddled more into Yoongi, pulling her legs up underneath her on the couch.

“Jinja Jagiya? You're going to talk to me about how hot another guy looks?” Yoongi said as he pouted at her before he pressed play.

“Too damn bad Min Yoongi! You'll have to put up with this kind of stuff if you want to be with me,” Ivy said with a smug smirk. Yoongi just shook his head and pulled her closer to him as the movie started playing.

It didn't take very long for Yoongi to end up asleep, resting his head on Ivy's. She tried not to move as much as possible but her legs were starting to go numb towards the end of the movie so she slowly moved out of Yoongi's clutches and pulled him so that his head rested in her lap. She couldn't help but giggle when he moved his leg to stretch out on the couch while the other was still firmly planted on the ground. He looked like he was passed out drunk and it was just too funny. Ivy quickly dug out her phone and snuck a picture before she started to run her fingers through his hair, earning a light hum of satisfaction from the sleeping idol. Not too long afterwards, Jin walked through the door.

“Oh! Annyeonghaseyo Noona,” Jin said with a small bow towards Ivy.

“Annyeong,” Ivy whispered back before holding a finger to her lips and pointing to the sleeping boy on her lap. Jin nodded with a light smile.

“He hasn't really slept much this week. He was worrying so much about how to impress you,” Jin whispered back with a light chuckle at the end. Ivy rolled her eyes.

“Impress me? Jinja? He really doesn't have to do anything to impress me,” Ivy looked down and shook her head at Yoongi. “Pabo.”

“That's what we all told him. He wouldn't believe us though. 'Hyung, I don't want her to think that I'm the same as every other guy.' He wouldn't shut up about it. What did he end up doing with you?” Jin said sighing in exasperation.

“We watched The Wailing and he fell asleep during Train to Busan,” Ivy chuckled as Jin threw his hands in air.

“Jinja? When I suggested that it wasn't good enough!” Jin's shout caused the boy on Ivy's lap to roll over and snuggle his face into her stomach. “Well, anyways, have you two eaten?”

“Aniyo but I'll just grab something on the way home,” Ivy said with a smile to Jin who didn't return it.

“It wasn't so much a question of if you were going to eat with us. It was my way of telling you that you had no choice in the matter,” Jin said as he strutted his way into the kitchen. Ivy couldn't help but laugh. He really was an Eomma.

All in all, this was one of the best dates that Ivy had ever had. It was everything she could have asked for and if she was honest it helped to solidify Yoongi's spot in her heart. Her choice was slowly being made for her.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N I am so sorry that this has taken me so long!!!!!!!!! Mianhe!!!!!!! I was having a really hard time with how I was writing Yoongi, he was far too sappy in the earlier chapters so I'm slowly trying to work him into being the grumpy bear we all know and love. As Always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	19. The Perfect Dress and Pancake Kitty

After her sweet date with Yoongi, Ivy wasn't so sure she wanted to go on the date with Jong Kook anymore and she felt ridiculously guilty for it. It wasn't like Jong Kook hadn't earned the date, in fact she probably owed him at least that much. She had spent the majority of Sunday and Monday sighing about her dilemma to Mark who had told her to just go enjoy the date and to worry about the guilt later. After his less than helpful advice Ivy had taken to asking Ji Hyo to go to lunch with her before her date. The two met up at a restaurant that Ji Hyo had said was one of her favorites.

“Ivy-ah!” Ji Hyo waved over at Ivy as soon as she was out of the cab that had brought her. “How have you been? Did you get to see the episode?”

“Hey Unnie. I haven't checked my email yet but I'll watch it when I get home tonight,” Ivy said as she gave Ji Hyo a quick hug.

“Oh yeah, that's right, you've been busy with a dilemma haven't you?” Ivy sighed in response and Ji Hyo laughed. “Okay we'll talk about it after we sit down.”

The girls went inside and were seated at a small table. There was a small fuss made by the customer's over Ji Hyo who happily took pictures and gave autographs. After the brief fan meeting, the girls took their seats and Ji Hyo started raving about the menu.

“Is there anything you can't eat Ivy?” Ji Hyo finally asked after giving a glowing review of the kalbi.

“Well, I can't eat onions. Like, green onions are okay but I'm allergic to the big onions,” Ivy said with a light chuckle while scratching the back of her head.

“Mwoh?! Jinja? Daebak!” Ji Hyo's eyes were wide which made Ivy giggle again. “Well I guess we need to get you the kalbi because I think that's the only thing here that I know of without onions. Want to share a large order?”

Ji Hyo's face lit up like a Christmas tree when Ivy nodded. The elder quickly called over a waiter and ordered before beginning her interrogation.

“So spill. Why are you so worried?” Ji Hyo sipped on her tea that had just arrived, waiting for Ivy's answer.

“Ugh... I guess the entirety of the situation,” Ivy responding also sipping her tea.

“Well what is the entire situation?” Ji Hyo asked lifting her eyebrow with a playful smirk.

“Jong Kook Oppa and Yoongi-ah both like me and have been in a war to win my affection and I agreed to go on dates with both of them but I don't want to be the reason that either of their careers suffer because I'm so much younger than Oppa but Yoongi's career is still growing and fragile and I can't decide because I keep thinking about how it would hurt them so I can't even make a decision,” Ivy took a deep breath and finished. “Not to mention that after my date with Yoongi on Saturday, I feel guilty for even going on the date with Oppa but he at least deserves that because we haven't even spent any time alone together. I'm so conflicted!”

“That is a really difficult situation,” Ji Hyo said lightly tapping her chin. “I've never been in a situation like that and I might be a little biased but do you want my advice?”

“Please God Unnie! No one has been any help! They just keep telling me that I have time and to just enjoy it. Like I can even do that,” Ivy said with a sigh.

“Honestly I think you should give Jong Kook Oppa a chance. He's a really good guy, a work out freak but a good guy. He's ready to settle down and if that's what you want too then he's a good choice. I don't honestly know anything about Yoongi-ah but I doubt he's in much of a position to think about the future of anything other than Bangtan. Oppa has the time and stability to focus on a future with you. I know you said that you're worried about the age difference but I know that it doesn't matter to him. Whatever made him fall for you goes much deeper than that,” Ji Hyo finished and gave Ivy a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don't worry. I think you'll make the right choice, and if you don't, I'm sure if they really love you, they'll wait for you.”

Ivy gave a small smile as the food was placed in front of them. The rest of their time together was spent joking and enjoying their food. Unfortunately Ji Hyo had to get back to her place quickly to prepare for her schedule that evening so she left after they finished eating. Ivy, having hours until she was supposed to meet up with Jong Kook, decided to take some time to walk. Her hotel was only about a thirty minute walk from where she was.

She ended up walking around and going into a couple shops. Nothing had really caught her eye until she went into the last store before her hotel. When Ivy walked into the store her eyes locked onto a dress hanging on the back wall. It was a short black dress, at least it would be short on her tall frme, with a lace overlay and scalloped neckline. The dress had three quarter length lace off the shoulder sleeves and flared lightly at the hips. It was beautiful. Ivy immediately asked an employee if she could try it on and was soon zipping it up. It fit her like a glove and made her look amazing. She snapped a few pictures and sent them to Angie before taking it off and heading to the checkout counter. As she walked out of the store towards her hotel her phone rang loudly in the back pocket of her jeans. She fished it out and answered without even looking at who was calling.

“ _Oh my shisus! That dress looks amazing on you! Tell me that you're wearing that for your date tonight!”_ Angie's voice was so high pitched that Ivy was pretty sure that only whales could understand the noise.

“ _That was the plan but do you think you could drop your voice like six octaves? You know, to a human level?”_ Ivy said with an eye roll that would have impressed Angie if she could have seen it.

“ _Sorry, it's just, I can't believe how good you look! You have to send me pictures of you and Jong Kook together! I bet you are going to look so good together! Is he going to be dressed up too? You did always say that Jong Kook in a button up gave you life. Do you think you can convince him to let you get a video of him hulking out of a button up? I'm sure that would get a lot of views on your channel,”_ Angie spit out quickly, making Ivy stop in the hotel lobby and rub her temples.

“ _You didn't sleep last night did you?”_ Ivy walked quickly to the elevators ignoring the strange looks she was getting from the girls behind the checkin desk.

“ _No I didn't. I have a biology test today and it's the one subject that is kicking my butt,”_ Ivy laughed lightly hearing Angie avoid a curse word, the girl was about as foul mouthed as her so that could only mean one thing.

“ _Your mom is driving you to class right now isn't she?”_

“ _Yeah, my mommy is awesome,”_ Ivy laughed at Angie's answer before telling her a swift good luck on her exam and promising to ask Jong Kook for the hulk out video before she hung up to get ready for her date.

It didn't take very long for Ivy to do her hair and make up since she decided that a natural look went better with her outfit and flats but that was a very good thing considering her shopping trip had taken three hours longer than she expected it to. She only had thirty minutes to get to the station that she had agreed to meet Jong Kook at and it would take every minute she had to get there. She rushed through the hotel as soon as she was out of the elevator and to the subway station that would take her to Gangnam on the other side of town. On her way she constantly checked her phone hoping that maybe Jong Kook would be late so she didn't look like a complete ditz to him. As soon as the subway doors opened for her she got on the train and stood holding the handle near the door and tapped her foot impatiently as the subway felt like it was going at a snails pace. Wasn't Korea supposed to have an amazing public transportation system? Shortly though the doors opened and Ivy rushed up the stairs to the entrance of the station where she found Jong Kook waiting in a black button up and black slacks looking like a perfectly carved marble statue. He was breath taking.

“Oppa, I'm late. Mianhe,” Ivy said as she bowed slightly to emphasize her apology.

“Don't worry about it Ivy-ah,” Jong Kook said with a deep breath as if he had been holding it. “You look stunning.”

“Komawo Oppa.  _You clean up pretty well yourself,”_  Ivy chuckled a bit as Jong Kook ducked his head to hide the blush that was slowly spreading across his cheeks. She would never get tired of his smile though, it was just so adorable.

“I figured we'd walk to the bar and grab a couple drinks. Maybe go to the park for a bit later if you wanted to,” Jong Kook said as he offered his arm to Ivy who happily took it.

“That sounds perfect Oppa,” Ivy smiled at him and began to look around the streets as they walked. Gangnam was definitely different than the side of town she was staying on, everything here just looked expensive but it was still so beautiful. It surprised Ivy that there were so few people on the street but she guessed that just meant that they were at home at this hour preparing for work the next day.

“So tell me a bit more about yourself,” Jong Kook said bringing Ivy's attention back to his face.

“I don't really know what more there is to tell that you don't already know. I'm a YouTuber, I'm a bit weird and eccentric, I love animals, I went to university to be a teacher but I failed miserably, I live for music, and I taught myself Korean. I don't know that I am much deeper of a person than that,” Ivy said with a shrug. She wasn't trying to be self-deprecating but she just didn't see herself as all that interesting of a person.

“I find it hard to believe that you don't think you're a deep person. Do you not see the way you affect people? I don't think anyone could dislike you. A shallow person couldn't do that,” Jong Kook said looking up to the sky thoughtfully.

“I guess but there are plenty of people that don't like me and it's not like I do anything spectacular. I just always act like myself and I've always believed in being an open book. I don't like having secrets,” Ivy said as they turned down a side street where there were more people. Shops lights glittered all the way to the end and even music could be heard playing from the inside. Ivy looked at all the shops with a light smile until one caught her eye.

It was an arcade and the first attraction were the crane machines. Inside on of the larger crane machines there were these stuffed animals that Ivy recognized immediately. It was Pancake Kitty. That wasn't it's real name but for whatever reason she could never remember it. Ivy had always loved these little toys though and they did look like pancakes so that's what she always called them. Jong Kook noticed Ivy's gaze and the way her eyes were sparkling and it made him smile.

“Do you want me to try to win you one of those?” He chuckled a bit when Ivy turned to him and nodded her head frantically. “Okay let's go.”

The two entered the arcade and Jong Kook settled in behind the machine before asking which one Ivy preferred. She pointed out the black one with a red bow tie and Jong Kook began his attempt at winning the game for her. The game was frustrating and it took him five tries but when he finally gave Ivy her Pancake Kitty he couldn't help but smile at how cutely she hugged it to herself. He was proud of himself for being able to make her smile that widely.

“Oppa kamsamnida! I love it!” Ivy practically screamed into the toy while Jong Kook wrapped his arm around her to lead her out of the arcade to the bar that was only a few buildings away.

“Omo! Aren't you BinguIvy?!” A group of what looked like high school girls stopped the pair as they were leaving and Ivy's eyes went as wide as saucers.

“You know who I am? Jinja?” Ivy asked turning to look at them all as they nodded.

“Do you mind if we take a picture with you? We're all subscribers on your channel!” One girl asked and all Ivy could do was nod. She really didn't want to cry with her make up on but she hadn't been recognized once while she was in Korea so she was surprised that anyone actually knew who she was. She took a few pictures with the girls and they also snagged a few with Jong Kook before heading out on their way to whatever they were doing, leaving the couple alone again.

“You're really popular aren't you?” Jong Kook asked as he started walking again, wrapping his arm around Ivy's waist this time.

"I really didn't think anyone here knew who I was though. I don't really do any videos in Korean. I guess I'll have to start now," Ivy chuckled and leaned into Jong Kook a bit. "It's been a great night so far." 

"Well it's not over yet so I hope the rest isn't disappointing," Jong Kook said with a smile as he lightly squeezed her waist. The night was going really well so far and Ivy couldn't have been happier that she had taken Ji Hyo's advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hey guys! sorry that I've been taking so long to update everything! I'm working through a bit of writer's block and also trying to make sure this story and my other ones stay on track! As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	20. The Quiet Bar

Jongkook had taken Ivy to a bar not far away from the arcade he had won the Pancake Kitty from. It was very fancy inside with the lights dimmed down and smooth jazz playing lightly over the speakers. The booths were filled with couples whispering to each other, business men discussing plans quietly, and women gossiping about their day. For being a bar it was ridiculously quiet, to the extent that it made Ivy nervous. Did Jongkook really not realize how loud Ivy was naturally? He led her to a booth despite whether or not he knew and Ivy sat down placing her stuffed animal on top of her purse as Jongkook took a seat across from her.

“Welcome, what can I get for you tonight?” A waiter in a nicely pressed uniform asked as he placed a couple of coasters down in front of the two.

“I'll take a tonic water with lime please,” Jongkook said before looking over to Ivy.

“I guess I'll have a glass of pinot noir,” With their orders taken the waiter headed back to the bar to put in their order leaving the two alone.

“I heard really good things about this place from Kwangsoo. He said it was a great date spot if you're not trying to be recognized too,” Jongkook took at look at Ivy's nervous expression and quickly tried to repair what he had said. “Not that I'd have a problem if people recognized me and saw me with you. I just wanted to make sure that we weren't interrupted on our date.”

“Oh no I figured that much. It's just really quiet in here,” Ivy said looking around the bar.

“I thought that would make it easier for us to talk,” Jongkook said looking down at his hands, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“I know, I'm just-” Ivy cut her sentence short as the waiter returned with their drinks. She nodded at the waiter and lifted her glass and lightly tapping it to Jongkook's before taking a large sip of the wine.

“Are you okay? You look uncomfortable,” He said as he set his drink down.

“The quiet makes me nervous,” Ivy said with a loud sigh as she set her glass down on the table as quietly as possible. “I don't know if you've noticed but I'm a very loud person naturally so it just unnerves me.”

“Ah. I didn't really think about that,” Jongkook looked around the bar before quickly picking up his glass and downing the contents hastily, Ivy following his lead, before standing up, placing a few bills on the table and holding his hand out to Ivy. She looked at him a bit skeptically before gathering her things and placing her hand in his as she stood from the booth.

Before she could really comprehend what was happening, Jongkook was running out of the bar and onto the street. He didn't stop there though, they ran for the next three blocks, laughter bubbling out of the two like they were a pair of high schoolers who had just run out of the bar without paying instead of two fully grown adults that had more than settled their tab. Jongkook finally stopped their running when they reached a cart bar that was almost packed and as noisy as could be. The two stood outside of the plastic enclosure still laughing and catching their breath for a moment before Ivy finally spoke.

“Why were we running again?” As soon as the question left her lips the giggles came back.

“Honestly? I'm not sure, you just make me do strange things,” Jongkook took notice of how her smile scrunched up her face and her eyes were sparkling with tears from the laughter. He couldn't help but think that he could look at her face forever.

“I'm pretty sure you just do strange things of your own accord ajusshi,” Ivy said as she pat his shoulder lightly.

“Ajusshi? Jinja? Ajusshi?” Jongkook said as he grabbed the wrist of hand on his shoulder and pulled her into himself, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I like it much better when you call me oppa.”

“I'm sure you do, ajusshi, but I'm pretty sure that you just made me run three blocks for no reason down a busy street,” Ivy replied with a smirk as she playfully pulled away.

“Then should this ajusshi have just left you uncomfortable in a bar? I mean we can always go back there,” Jongkook pulled her back into him some more lightly tapping their noses together before looking around at where they were. “I'm pretty sure there are some other ajusshi's that would take you off my hands if you'd prefer that.”

Ivy lightly smacked Jongkook's arm before turning to face the cart bar. She entered and headed towards a small table near where the ahjumma was making food. They took a seat and Jongkook caught the ahjumma's attention ordering some snack and two bottles of soju. The fact that he ordered two bottles perplexed Ivy a bit though and her face must have shown it because when he looked at her Jongkook chuckled.

“You look like a child trying their first pickled radish,” Jongkook said with a light chuckle.

“Well, I guess I just don't get why you're getting two bottles. I think I'll probably get a pretty good buzz off of one and I've been told that two will make it difficult for me to locate my own feet, so yeah. I don't get it,” Ivy cocked her head to the side a bit making the mass of a man across from her chuckle once more before patting her head.

“One bottle is for me,” His response made Ivy dramatically cover her mouth with her hand while her eyes went wide in exaggerated shock.

“Omo! Isn't drinking unhealthy ajusshi? Besides didn't you just have a tonic water and lime back at the bar?” Ivy giggled behind her hand as Jongkook scoffed at her calling him ajusshi again.

“Ya! I'm not an ajusshi! And yeah, drinking isn't good for you if you do it too much but I haven't drank in a very long time so it'll be fine,” Ivy raised both her hands up in a surrendering motion at his response before giggling a bit more. “Besides I'm not sure this place has anything but soju.”

“Okay, yeah, that's a solid point. Pretty sure that no one comes here looking for anything else either,” Ivy and Jongkook laughed together again as the ahjumma came and placed a plate of what looked like squid and tteokbokki in front of them along with the bottles of soju and two shot glasses.

“So,” Jongkook started as he opened a bottle of soju and poured out two shot glasses worth for the two of them. “Is there anything about you that you think I should know?”

“Wow, straight to the point huh?” Ivy said with a little chuckle before downing her shot. “I don't know. I mean for the most part I'm just your average geeky girl. I read, watch anime, listen to Kpop, and do the whole YouTube thing. My life just seems interesting because I film it.”

“I know how that feels honestly. Outside of Running Man and the tours that I do, my life is pretty bland too. I wake up and go to the gym and then do filming or studio work. If it wasn't for the fact that I'm recognized on the street it'd be pretty mundane,” Jongkook replied as he slowly drank the drink before him. The look on his face was thoughtful but Ivy could see the bit of sadness that it held. The celebrity life wasn't as easy as it seemed, it was glamorous but it was very lonely and repetitive. Ivy could relate on a much smaller scale.

“I know you have to have a hard time with it. It must be almost impossible to maintain any kind of intimate relationship when everyone seems to know your business,” Ivy said as she reached across the table to place her hand on Jongkook's, lightly rubbing circles with her thumb.

“Yeah it's a bit rough but if I wasn't doing this then I never would have met you would I?” Jongkook flipped his hand over to hold Ivy's and smiled at how small her hands seemed in his. “If I had to do it all again, I would just so I could meet you.”

Ivy blushed as Jongkook looked up at her with gentle eyes. She couldn't think of any words that could possibly compete with what he just said so she simply nodded and poured out another drink for the two of them before downing her own.

The two drank and talked a bit more lightly for what felt like only a few minutes but had turned into hours. Before they realized, it was three in the morning and they were the last ones left in the cart bar. They got up, Jongkook paid the ahjumma, and began their walk back to Ivy's hotel. Jongkook reached out and grabbed Ivy's hand as they walked and gently squeezed it, simply trying to convey to her how much this night had meant to him.

The quiet walk back hadn't been nearly as uncomfortable as the bar had been and, if she was being honest, Ivy thought it was probably the most comfortable she had been with a person in a very long time. Her mind tried to focus back onto the decision she was having to make but she quelled her thoughts and set her focus back to the man who was holding her hand and gently smiling at her when he thought she wasn't looking. There was just something so sweet about Jongkook and she just couldn't imagine ever hurting him. He may put on a very tough front and act so capable in front of the camera but now Ivy could say that she really did understand how he could sing such sweet and soulful ballads.

His heart was much bigger and brighter than anyone she had ever met but Ivy also got the feeling it was the most broken too. Worn down from the years of having to be alone for his image, the women who couldn't accept him for who he is, and the pain of not being able to find the peace that he wanted in his own life. If anything it made Ivy want to protect him with everything she was.

“I know that you're torn between me and Yoongi-ah. I know that you need to think about it and follow what will make you happy, but I can't even tell you how much the fact that you're considering me means to me. You have become someone I care deeply about in such a short period of time, I just want you to know that I support you. No matter what your decision is. Even if I'm not your choice, always know that I'm your friend and you can confide in me anytime you need me,” Jongkook said, breaking the silence when they had reached her hotel room. Ivy looked up at the man and nodded simply, not trusting that her voice wouldn't crack from the emotions boiling inside of her. “Have a good night Ivy.”

Jongkook moved to release her hand but Ivy simply pulled him closer and planted her lips on his. The kiss caught him by surprise but he welcomed it quickly, moving his free hand to Ivy's waist as she moved hers to his cheek. It was shorter than he would have liked but it was breathtaking, as though she was trying to tell him her every thought with that one kiss. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped him as a smile stretched his lips, he was genuinely happy for the first time in a long time. Without another word he gave Ivy a kiss to the forehead and turned to go back to the elevator and make his way home. He only looked back once to make sure Ivy got into her room but the smile she sent him would be ingrained in his memory forever.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hi guys! I'm back! I'm so so so so so sorry that this took me so long but I promise I really am trying to write more. I've had writer's block from hell but now I think I'm finally starting to get back to where I wanted to be with this story at least... I'm also working on a few of my other stories too but I figured this update was LONG overdue! As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	21. Dad Jokes

Ivy woke up to find that she had a text from Jong Kook and Yoongi, as well as a missed phone call and voicemail. She quickly checked over the texts, Jong Kook simply saying good morning and to have a good day though he had sent it at 7:15 am and it really concerned her that he could possibly be awake at that hour considering when he must have gotten back home. Yoongi on the other hand had asked her to come over again and hang out with the guys before they started having insane schedules due to their comeback. Ivy quickly responded to both and let Yoongi know that she was more than happy to come over. The voicemail however struck her as odd. It was from the Running Man PD and while it didn't sound bad it was a little stressful being told to give him a call back and that he had something important to discuss with her.

“Yobuseoyo?” The PD answered the call a lot quicker than Ivy had anticipated but she recovered quickly.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Ivy-ibnida, you asked me to give you a call?” Ivy was bracing herself for whatever she was about to hear, though she couldn't help but expect to get a scolding. She still hadn't watched the episode that they had sent her but she was desperately worried that they had been upset with the antics of her and the boys.

“Ah, ye, you know that the YouTuber's episode aired on Sunday right?” The PD paused just long enough for Ivy to hum her acknowledgement before continuing. “Well we just got the ratings back and they were through the roof. Some of the top search words for this week so far have been your name and Running Man.”

“Ah that's very good to hear! I'm happy that it went over so well, I was worried that you were going to be upset with me,” Ivy chuckled a bit and the PD laughed along with her.

“No, not at all. We were very pleased with this episode,” The PD took a moment to clear his throating, pausing once again to continue in a more serious tone. “You may not be aware but Kang Gary is actually leaving us to focus on his music, so we will have a space that we need to fill for the cast. We were wondering if maybe you would be interested in taking over his spot?”

“Ah, you're doing a hidden camera aren't you? Is this Kwangsoo Oppa? HaHa Oppa?” Ivy asked as she deflated into her pillows with a bit of laughter.

“This isn't a joke. We seriously would like for you to consider joining Running Man as a full time cast member,” The PD's voice was clear and firm but Ivy was still having a hard time processing it. There was just no way that they really wanted to keep her on full time.

“I'd love to but I'm still just here on a travel visa, wouldn't that be a problem?” Ivy asked bringing to light some of her concerns.

“We can help to take care of that, don't worry. If you really want to join we'd love for you to come down to SBS and take a look over a contract with us. We could set up an appointment with you at 3 pm tomorrow if you like,” The PD seemed to seriously want to push Ivy to do it and she couldn't complain. This was her dream job after all.

“Sure that should be fine,” Ivy agreed and the PD quickly gathered all the details he needed before they finished the phone call and Ivy laid down onto the bed. She was really going to do this. This meant that she would be moving to Seoul and working full time with Running Man. She was having conflicting feelings about it though, not because of her but because that meant that Gary was really leaving and it hurt her heart a bit. She had always loved Running Man and knowing that they were going to lose one of their members was tough. She couldn't even imagine what the members were thinking.

Ivy sat up and slapped both of her cheeks lightly to break herself out of her thoughts. She had to get ready to head over to see Yoongi and it wouldn't be a great visit if she was being teary over Gary. She quickly put on some make up and changed into something cute and comfortable before heading out.

It didn't take her long to get to the dorms and this time when Jungkook opened the door he didn't panic so much. He didn't really smile but he didn't freak out either.

“Hi Noona,” Jungkook said simply before moving and letting her into the apartment.

“Aw! Jungkookie! Can't you at least give me a hug? You're my adorable baby bunny after all!” Ivy said as she caught up to Jungkook and wrapped her arms around him from the back. The Maknae stiffened at the action and squirmed a bit trying to get her to let go.

“Aish, not this again. He'll be so spoiled by you! Can't you just pay attention to me instead?” Yoongi complained from his spot on the couch as he looked over to Ivy with pout.

“Ani, the baby bunny is my child remember?” Ivy said with a chuckle as she released Jungkook and ruffled his hair.

“Why would you like him that much? He's just a muscle pig,” Taehyung said as he pouted on the floor in front of Yoongi.

“He's just a baby that's why,” Ivy said as she came over to sit next to Yoongi on the couch. “Are you really that worried about how much I care about Kookie?”

“Ani, I just don't like having to deal with his mouth afterwards,” Yoongi said before heightening the pitch of his voice to mock Jungkook. “Noona's so nice, she thinks I'm adorable. Everyone loves me, even your girlfriend hyung. I'm the golden maknae, everyone takes care of me. Noona's going to love me more than you.”

“Hyung! I never said that!” Jungkook exclaimed as his face went beet red.

“Aigoo, you two need to stop bickering,” Jin called as he entered the living room with a tray filled with food. Ivy rushed over and started to grab some of the more precariously placed dishes so that they wouldn't fall. Jin nodded towards her and thanked her lightly as he began setting the other dishes onto the coffee table. “At least someone knows how to help.”

“Hyung, if you would have asked I would have helped,” Jimin said bounding into the room.

“You banned me from touching dishes I wasn't eating from remember?” Namjoon said without looking up from his phone.

“What's going on?” Hoseok asked as he entered the living room with a towel around his neck.

“Jin hyung is upset because only Noona helped to get the dishes from the kitchen to the coffee table. I didn't even realize he was making food,” Tae answered with a blank look on his face.

“Jungkook was too busy trying to move in on my girlfriend for me to help,” Yoongi said with a huff as he crossed his arms.

“I wasn't trying to make a move on Noona. She's the one who hugged me,” Jungkook said in a small voice.

“It's okay Baby Bunny, Yoongi is just being jealous because I didn't hug him first,” Ivy said as she took a seat on the floor at the end of the coffee table. She didn't miss Yoongi's pout as she crossed her legs.

“Noona is just the nicest isn't she?” Hoseok beamed as he took a seat on Ivy's right.

“Noona, why don't you sit on the couch with me?” Yoongi offered in a pitiful voice.

“I'm already comfy down here,” Ivy said as she took the chopsticks that Jin handed her. “Jin-ah, want to hear a funny joke?”

“Ne, Noona,” Jin answered as he sat on her left.

“A man walks into a bar. The man says 'ow'.” Jin's windshield wiper laugh and the other boys's groans let Ivy know she had hit the right target. “A kimbap roll walks into a bar and orders a beer. The bartender says, 'Sorry we don't serve food here.'”

Jin's laughter got harder and now even Jimin and Tae were laughing along. Ivy was on a roll and she wasn't going to stop until she had the whole room laughing. Now she just had to find the right jokes. Thank god Angie was always telling her dad jokes.

“Why do chicken coops only have two doors? If they had four they'd be chicken sedans,” Now Hoseok and Jungkook were laughing. Only two more to go. “I used to work at a calendar factory but I got the sack because I took a couple of days off.”

A grin split Yoongi's face but neither him nor Namjoon laughed. Jin was laughing so hard by this point though, that Ivy thought he might hurt himself. The other boys were reduced to giggling messes on the ground. Maybe she could do it with one more.

“I had a dream I was a muffler last night. I woke up exhausted,” Namjoon snorted a bit at this one. Ivy had lost Yoongi though. She'd aim for Namjoon first. “ _How do you tell a frog from a horny toad? A frog says 'ribbit ribbit' a horny toad says 'rub it, rub it'.”_

Namjoon almost choked on his water making the other boys, besides Yoongi, howl with laughter. Ivy was almost to the end of her list of jokes but she wasn't giving up. She'd make the whole room laugh with dad jokes if it was the last thing she did.

“What was Beethoven's favorite fruit?” Yoongi's eyes darted to meet Ivy's. She had him. This one was going to kill. “BA-NA-NA-NA!”

Ivy made sure to sing it as well as she could through her own chuckles and watched as Yoongi lost his mind. He laughed so hard that he started to lean into Namjoon for support. The entire room was cracking up and Ivy couldn't help but laugh along with them. This was probably the best time she'd had off camera since she got to Korea.

“You have to teach me your jokes!” Jin said as he finally composed himself, still wiping tears from his eyes.

“Of course I will! I want to be able to see you guys laugh like this more often,” Ivy said lightly patting his shoulder.

“But we do laugh like this a lot Noona,” Tae said giving Ivy a confused look.

“Ya! I'm a fangirl remember? I watch your vlive's. I know you laugh a lot but there are times when it's strained. I want you to laugh more freely like this. I hate it when you guys work yourselves so hard. I want you to always remember that we, the fans, want to know that you're doing well and staying healthy. So remember to laugh more genuinely and use these jokes when you need to laugh,” Ivy said with a gentle smile to the younger boy.

“You make it sound like you won't be around to make us laugh like this Jagiya,” Yoongi said, a distraught look overtaking his features.

“I won't always be around guys. I have a job too remember? Speaking of which I have news, but you can't tell anyone about it yet okay?” Ivy said placing a finger to her lips with a wink.

“What's up Noona?” Jungkook asked looking up shyly.

“Nothing is set in stone yet but you might just be looking at the newest cast member for Running Man!” The boys erupted into raucous whoops and hollers as Ivy giggled. Yoongi even got up from the couch to pull Ivy into a tight hug.

“That means you'll be staying in Korea right?” Jimin asked as the others started to quiet down.

“That means we'll be able to see you more!” Hoseok said as the group started to cheer again.

“Jinja Jagiya? You're staying in Korea?” Yoongi said with loving eyes as he cupped Ivy's cheek in his hand.

“Eung, I'm staying in Korea,” Ivy had barely finished her answer before Yoongi planted his lips on hers. There were a chorus of cheers, ew's, and 'get a room!' but it didn't make the kiss any less sweet. Ivy couldn't have asked for a better congratulation at that point.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hi guys! Thanks for being patient with me! Here's another update and I promise to work even harder to get another chapter done soon! As always Thanks for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	22. Joining Running Man

Ivy had spent most of the night with Bangtan and was definitely tired when she got back to her hotel. The next day though, she woke up on the first buzz of her alarm and started getting ready for the day ahead of her. It wasn't going to be all that long but it was going to be a bit difficult. She quickly pulled on her most professional looking outfit and did some quick make up before grabbing her phone and purse to head out to SBS. She spent the entire taxi ride a bit worried about what she was getting herself into. After all she was still pretty sure that this was just an elaborate hidden camera prank.

When she entered the building she was greeted by a secretary behind a very large desk that probably served as a work space for two or three others. Ivy quickly confirmed her appointment and was given a visitors badge. She made her way over to the elevators looking around and trying to catch someone filming her. There wasn't any camera that she could see though.

As Ivy made her way to the Running Man office, the reality of her situation was starting to set in. She actually was being offered a position on Running Man. Ivy took deep breaths trying to calm herself as she knocked on the casting office door. When she walked into the office she threw on her brightest smile and bowed to the group of casting directors that were there. She took the seat offered to her and the meeting began.

  
  


Ivy was completely worn out when she walked out of the meeting. It had lasted three hours, which was hours longer than she thought it was going to. She figured it would have only been an hour or so and then they would send her on her way with a copy of the contract to look over. They hadn't though. They had gone through a few of the more particular bits though.

She was going to have a ninety day probationary contract where she was supposed to be searching for a company to work for, since it made their job easier when discussing pay. They had suggested that she look at the companies that her new co-workers were signed with and to give it some thought. It hadn't been what she was really expecting. She didn't have everyone's number yet though so she'd have to talk to them the day of her first shoot as a cast member.

Her first shoot as a cast member was set for two weeks from Monday and she was actually nervous. Apparently there would be two other members joining too and she didn't even know who they were yet. She'd meet them when she showed up for the shoot but it didn't make the stress any lighter. There were a lot of unknowns in her life now but she was trying to breathe through it and keep moving forward like she always did.

As she was walking out of the building she was stopped by someone calling her name. When she turned around to see who it was, she saw Jong Kook jogging towards her. He looked fantastic in his black jeans and tee shirt, it made Ivy blush a bit if she was being honest. She had never felt more like she was living in a Kdrama than she did at that moment though.

“Ivy-ah! What are you doing here?” Jong Kook asked as he came to a stop in front of her.

“Ah, the Running Man crew wanted to talk to me about something. It's not really anything special. What are you doing here?” Ivy smiled brightly at Jong Kook as she quickly changed the subject.

“I came to get a pair of shoes that my stylist had left at the site the other day. She's had a bit of a hard time with me lately,” Jong Kook chuckled and scratched the back of his neck in a bit of embarrassment. “Would you be free to have dinner tonight? I know it's a bit last minute but I know a really good restaurant close to here.”

“I'd love to. It's not like I have anything else to do tonight,” Ivy laughed a bit at herself and Jong Kook smiled brightly.

“Alright then. Let me go get those shoes really quick and then I'll have my manager drive us,” After a nod from Ivy, Jong Kook set off on his errand and Ivy pulled out her phone.

She hadn't heard from Yoongi today but she was sure that it was only because they were in the studio all day practicing. Their first show was coming up in a week and they needed to be prepared. She sent him a quick encouraging message and moved on to check her email. There was something from Mark, mostly asking how she was liking the trip and what she had seen, but there was also a bit asking her about the situation with the guys. Of course, she sent a quick reply saying that she would call him with all the details later that night after she got back from dinner. As she finished her message to Mark, Jong Kook came back.

“Ka ja,” He said as he lightly led her towards the entrance with a hand on her lower back. Ivy couldn't help but notice how much of a gentleman he was being. Not that she had expected any less after their date.

“So what kind of food are we going to eat today?” Ivy asked as Jong Kook held the door open to her.

“Well I know that I'm going to have samgyetang,” Ivy rolled her eyes at him. Of course he was going to eat chicken, she wasn't sure the man knew how to eat anything else. “It's a fairly traditional restaurant though. I don't really know what you like to eat yet but I'm sure there's something for you there.”

“As long as I can get it without onions I'm sure I'll be fine. I can usually eat most Korean foods though,” Ivy responded as they approached the van that Jong Kook had arrived in.

“Alright then I'm sure that we'll be fine. Hyung? Can you take us to the samgyetang restaurant that I like here?” Jong Kook's manager nodded and headed over to the driver's side of the van. Jong Kook scoffed and opened the door for Ivy. “Hyung! Don't be like that! You don't have to stay! Just drop us off then you can go home to your family.”

“Arrasseo. Don't do anything stupid, ara? You have a schedule tomorrow so don't stay out too late. And don't forget to be a gentleman,” Ivy chuckled at Jong Kook's interactions with his manager. It was kind of sweet how they actually acted like brothers.

“Ne, Hyung. Don't worry so much. I'm normally up hours before you,” Jong Kook said as he got more comfortable in his seat.

“Last time you went on a date I had to come in with your Eommoni and wake you up. You almost broke my arm!” Jong Kook chuckled and shook his head.

“Oppa! How can you laugh at that! You shouldn't hurt people when they wake you up!” Ivy scolded as she smacked Jong Kook's arm.

“Mwoh? I recall you slapping me in the face when I was waking you up for filming!” Jong Kook replied as he tried to catch Ivy's hands.

“You two are a perfect pair then,” Jong Kook's manager grumbled as he pulled away towards the restaurant.

The ride to the restaurant wasn't very quick because traffic was horrible, but every time that Jong Kook or Ivy suggested that they could walk, Jong Kook's manager denied it. They drove for what felt like forever and Jong Kook even ended up taking a little nap before they actually got to the place. When they finally did arrive Ivy couldn't have been happier to get out of the car. It wasn't like the road trip they had taken for the show but it still felt stifling since they hadn't moved very fast.

“Komawo, Hyung. I'll see you in the morning,” Jong Kook waved his manager off as the two turned to walk into the restaurant. It wasn't very fancy and didn't seem to be all that well known, considering it's lack of a dinner crowd, but it felt cozy. Ivy couldn't help but smile at the whole atmosphere that it had going.

“Ah, Jong Kook-ah, did you finally bring a yeojachingu?” The ahjumma that seated them asked with a large smile on her face.

“Just a date for now, Eommoni. How are your kids doing?” Ivy smiled fondly at the interaction as the ahjumma filled Jong Kook in on her kids' lives while handing Ivy a menu. She figured that Jong Kook must come here often enough for the ahjumma to know his order.

“Let me know if you have any questions about anything agassi. Ara?” Ivy smiled and nodded as the ahjumma walked over towards the kitchen.

“So you must come here pretty often if they didn't even bother to give you a menu,” Ivy said with an eyebrow cocked as she read over the menu in front of her.

“Ne. I come here about once a week when I can. The family that runs this place is really sweet,” Jong Kook said with a small grin.

“Ah, I see. Seems like you know a lot about their family business since you knew her kids names and everything,” Ivy saw Jong Kook blush a bit at her comment and couldn't help but smile. He really was a sweet man.

“Her son is trying to be an idol. He's only about eleven but he's already trying to audition. I've given him a few pointers to try to help him out. Her daughter is trying to go to school to be a journalist so I've set her up with a few of my friends so that they can help her reach her dream,” Jong Kook turned to face the wall while scratching the back of his neck and Ivy simply remained silent. She enjoyed hearing about how he tried to help people and this was honestly a new side that she hadn't seen of him before. “Anyways, what was your meeting about today?”

“Aniyo. I can't talk to anyone about it yet,” Ivy chuckled at Jong Kook's attempt at changing the subject. He definitely wasn't the kind of person who liked talking about himself and Ivy could appreciate that. He seemed like he was a bit awkward when he was trying to tell her about himself too.

“Ah, I see. So they did cast you didn't they?” Ivy simply rolled her eyes but Jong Kook laughed. Of course he would know about it if she wouldn't tell him what happened. Why did he have to be so keen? “Are they trying to get you to go audition for a company?”

“Ugh. Ne, I hate that you pick up on things so quickly. Couldn't you be a little more dimwitted?” Ivy asked with a sigh.

“Ani. I'm just naturally smart. I can't help it. Do you have any idea where you're going to audition?” Jong Kook asked as the ahjumma came to take Ivy's order. She quickly ordered something simple and the ahjumma smiled at the two before returning to the kitchen.

“I have no idea. I don't really know a lot about the companies to be honest. The only ones I really have any insight on are JYP and YG but it doesn't really make sense for me to go to them since they're mostly music based,” Ivy sighed again and thought about how she felt like a cliché with how much sighing she was doing today.

“Talk to Kwang Soo. He could probably set up an audition for you at Starship. They actually have a pretty big part of their company dedicated to actors and entertainers,” Jong Kook offered. That actually wasn't a bad idea either but Ivy didn't have a way of getting in touch with Kwang Soo.

“I don't have Kirin's number,” Ivy stated simply as she repressed a sigh that would have been one too many for her day.

“I'll have him call you don't worry about it okay? I wouldn't tell him why you're auditioning though. He's a really great kid but he has a huge mouth,” Jong Kook smiled at Ivy as she laughed. Of course Kirin would have a big mouth, he was known as the betrayer after all.

Not too long after their food was placed in front of them and they fell into a comfortable silence as they ate. Ivy couldn't believe that her day had ended up with a dinner date with Jong Kook. Maybe it was fate telling her that he was the one. Her phone buzzing with an invitation made that thought a lot less believable though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! I've been having a hard time writing this chapter because it's mostly filler but I'm finally getting to a point where it will be more fun to write so that's something! As Always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


	23. Kirin's Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hey guys! Quicker update than usual! Yay! Got a bit of fluff and filler but hey at least it's going places lol... It's also a bit of Storyception going on! If you've been reading my story We're All Mad Here then you'll recognize Cheshire ^_^ As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!

Yoongi had invited Ivy to their first comeback stage and apparently he had somehow conned the company into helping her get backstage access. Ivy was pretty sure that Yoongi had threatened to make some kind of scene, but whatever he did, it worked. It definitely wasn't something that Ivy had been expecting but it was a lot of fun to think about. That's how she kept herself motivated for the next couple of days.

Ivy had spent the first of her free days looking into everything she could about companies that had departments for entertainers or actors. It was a lot of research and she didn't even leave her room the first day. It was hard work too. Ivy saw four companies she had never heard of before that were pretty simple and seemed like they weren't that bad, but she was a little disturbed by the fact that none of the people who worked for them were really known. Of course, she did look at the companies that her new co-workers worked at also, though HaHa and Jong Kook definitely were not that helpful.

On the second day she got a call from a number that she didn't know. She stared at her phone for a moment, confusion getting the better of her. It was a Korean number and Ivy really just didn't know enough people here to be getting calls from unknown numbers like this.

“Yobuseyo?” Ivy finally answered on the second cycle of her ringtone.

“Ivy-ssi? This is Kwang Soo. Jong Kook hyung told me to give you a call,” Kwang Soo's voice made Ivy face palm. Of course it was Kirin, she had completely forgotten what Jong Kook had told her.

“Ah, ne oppa. Did he tell you why?” Ivy asked as she stood to stretch. Sitting in front of the computer all day had made her stiff.

“He only told me that you wanted to audition at my company. I'm confused though, why do you need to join a company? You just do YouTube,” Kwang Soo's tone wasn't condescending, it was honestly curious, but the words he chose actually hurt Ivy a bit.

“Ya! Oppa! Just because I do YouTube doesn't mean I don't do other things! I was on Running Man! And I'm trying to get into the entertainment industry here a bit!” Ivy yelled a little louder than she meant to but she was a bit upset.

“Mian, mian, mian!” Kwang Soo sounded like Ivy had just slapped him in the face, which would have made her laugh if she wasn't still upset at what he said.

“Betraying, rude, Kirin,” Ivy mumbled.

“Ya! Do you want me to set up the audition or not?” Ivy couldn't argue with his logic but she could still groan a bit at him.

“Ne, Kirin oppa,” Kwang Soo's sigh was enough to bring a smile back to Ivy's face if she was being honest.

“Arrasseo, I'll talk to my boss and see what we can do. Do you have any other auditions coming up?” Kirin was definitely not the person that Ivy had expected to take an interest in her life but she couldn't cut the conversation short since he was doing her a favor.

“Aniyo. I've just been doing research honestly. I think that I'm leaning more towards Starship though. It seems like it's the best option,” Ivy said with a sigh.

“It is honestly a really good company. They're really good to their people, at least in my department. I think you might actually get along pretty well with one of the idols here too. She's from America,” Kwang Soo said with a bit of certainty in his voice.

“You do realize that not all Americans get along just because they're American right?” Ivy knew that he was talking about Cheshire, and she was definitely a fan, but she didn't know if that meant that Cheshire would like her.

“Well, I mean, I guess so but Cheshire has been bugging me to try to introduce you to her. Apparently she thinks you're hilarious,” Ivy couldn't help the sound that came out of her mouth. She might have terrified Kwang Soo, but she was excited.

“That is so cool! I love RI5E! I would love to meet her! Oppa! Please help me meet her!” Ivy couldn't actually help the fangirling that she was doing. It may have been irritating but it was an involuntary reaction.

“Ara, ara! I'll help you meet her! Stop screaming at me!” Even with Kwang Soo yelling at her, his laughter let Ivy know that he wasn't actually irritated with her. “Are you free to grab lunch some time this week? I'll see if I can set up the audition by then and see if I can bring Chess with me to lunch.”

“Ne, oppa that sounds fine with me,” Ivy said with a large smile covering her face. She squealed even more after she finally hung up the phone. Kwang Soo's promises to help her get an audition and to introduce her to Cheshire were definitely a big motivating factor for her next few days.

Ivy decided that, by the way Kwang Soo was talking, she would stop her research for a bit and only focus on Starship for the time being. The tone of the conversation had made her feel like it was better to go in and tell them that she was only focused on the one company. So Ivy took herself outside and down to the convenience store to grab a snack and an iced coffee to enjoy at the park near her hotel. She took her time to settle on a bench in the shade that overlooked a little grass area that a couple of people and their dogs were playing in before she pulled out her phone.

“ _Well, hello nurse!”_ Mark's answer was rather hilarious to Ivy and made her almost shoot iced coffee out of her nose.

“ _Hey! You're going to make me waste my iced coffee!”_ Mark chuckled and Ivy rolled her eyes. She felt as if she was talking to Angie who had been her friend for years rather than someone she had met a few weeks ago.

“ _Okay, so what's been going on? Anything nifty happen since I've left you alone to be fought over?”_ Ivy could hear the eyebrow wiggle in Mark's voice. He was incorrigible.

“ _Well, I guess things have been alright. I went on my dates with the guys and one more date with each. I'm even more confused than when I started. That's not the best thing that's happened though,”_ Ivy leaned back on the bench and looked up to the sky.

“ _Ooooh, what happened? Hmmmm?”_ Ivy was about to answer when she heard rustling on Mark's side of the line. “ _Chica! No! Chica down!”_

“ _Awww! Chica baby! Are you trying to talk to me?”_ Ivy giggled as Mark came back on the line sputtering like he was getting fur out of his mouth.

“ _Anyways~ tell me what happened!”_ Mark's singsong voice made Ivy roll her eyes again.

“ _You can't tell anyone about this yet, but I was casted on Running Man. Gary left the show and they asked me to join. There's going to be at least one or two more people joining too but I'm going to be one of the permanent members if I can join a company within the ninety day probationary contract,”_ Mark's quick intake of breath let Ivy know that she had impressed Mark.

“ _Wow! Really? That's awesome! So you're going to be moving to Korea permanently huh?”_

“ _Yeah I guess I am, at least if I can join a company,”_ Ivy sighed a bit and slumped her shoulders down.

“ _Don't even worry about that. You'll definitely join a company. Now you just have to worry about the big question. Who are you going to choose?”_ Mark's voice went from serious to sounding like a teenage school girl making Ivy scoff at him.

“ _I guess that'll be the big question of the year honestly. I mean, the date with Yoongi was sweet but the fear of having to be so secretive with our relationship was kind of validated. We'd have to have a lot of dates at his dorm, which doesn't offer a lot of privacy. With Jong Kook, we went out to a bar and I actually ended up being recognized and we were able to walk around without really worrying about people following us. It was nice. Both of them kissed me again and both kisses were amazing but they were both different. Jong Kook's kiss felt more comfortable and... Familiar? I guess? Yoongi's was passionate and new. It's like it comes down to whether I want to settle down or if I want something to grow more into,”_ Ivy had a bit of trouble fully describing what she meant but she felt like she described it well enough.

“ _Alright. Are you ready to settle down and put down roots, or do you want to still be able to run around and have some fun?”_ Mark always made everything sound so simple and it was something that Ivy appreciated and hated at the same time.

“ _I'm not sure. I haven't even been here for long enough to know what I want. I just entered a new phase of my life, and it was kind of a crazy and quick change at that. I'm so worried that I'm going to make a decision and then it's not the right choice. Especially if I choose Jong Kook. If I choose him I could end up married to him pretty quickly and then if it's the wrong choice I'd have a divorce on me, which is a huge stigma here. I'm so terrified to choose and disappoint myself or them. I just don't know what to do at all,”_ Ivy knew that she sounded like a broken record with how she kept saying she didn't know but Mark didn't seem to mind. He was really good for just letting her vent her thoughts, even when they were repetitive.

“ _Just give it some more time then. I'm sure that if they really care about you that they'll understand that you need some time to adjust and make your decision. Just let them know that you're not sure and why you need time. Pretty sure they'll both be wanting to take you on dates still. Though I'm pretty sure Yoongi might be a bit intimidated by the fact that you're going to be working with Jong Kook,”_ Mark brought up a new point that Ivy hadn't even thought of. How was Yoongi going to react to the idea of her working with Jong Kook every week?

“ _Ugh. I guess I'll find out what Yoongi thinks of it in a week. He invited me to their comeback debut. I'm not really supposed to be telling anyone about the Running Man thing but I could probably manage to tell him without it getting out. He would probably be more upset with me if I didn't tell him about it myself,”_ Ivy rubbed her temples. She could feel the headache coming on and didn't know how she could deal with this any differently.

  
  


Ivy talked with Mark a bit more before they hung up and Ivy headed back towards her hotel. She stopped by the convenience store one more time on her way back to grab a bottle of soju. She really needed a drink. One thing that Ivy was definitely happy was completely different from the US was that she could drink as she made her way back to the hotel. The buzz was beginning to hit as she got to the front door of the hotel. That was also where she saw the big black limo. She smiled at the limo as she walked towards the door.

Her trek was halted short by a man in a suit though. He was fairly large, but not quite large enough to be scary. The light smile on his face also helped Ivy to breathe a little easier. He bowed his head slightly to her and motioned towards the limo that was now behind her. Ivy's eyes widened as she turned to look at the limo and then the man in front of her.

“I think you have the wrong person,” Ivy said as she waved her hands in front of her face, shaking her head.

“You are Ivy Jung correct?” The man questioned.

“Uh, yeah but I didn't arrange for a limo or anything like this,” Ivy said as the man turned her around by her shoulders to steer her towards the limo. “Wait! Ani!”

As she got closer to the limo the window went down, showing a man sitting in the limo. Ivy was starting to panic a bit as the man turned around to show his face, lightly pushing down his sunglasses. Ivy had never wanted to hit someone so much in her entire life to be honest.

Min Yoongi would definitely suffer for scaring her so badly.

“Jagiya, get in. We've got some shopping to do,” Yoongi smiled mischievously at her and scooted over in the limo.

“Yah! Min Yoongi! You scared me so much! I thought I was going to have to tell Angie to call Liam Neeson to come find me!” Ivy said as the suited man, who turned out to be the chauffeur, closed the door behind her.

“I'm sorry but I couldn't be standing out in front of your hotel waiting for you. If the press caught me, the company would never let me do this ever again with you,” Yoongi said with a light puppy dog look at her.

“That's still not okay! Why didn't you just text me?” Ivy said with a light punch on Yoongi's arm.

“I promise I'll make it worth it!” Yoongi said as he grabbed Ivy's arm and pulled her into him, kissing the top of her head. “We're going shopping for what you're going to wear to the comeback debut next week.”

“You don't have to do that Yoongi,” Ivy said as she turned her head to look up at him.

“I know I don't but I really want to,” He leaned down to place a kiss to her lips after he responded. Ivy couldn't help but smile at Yoongi being a big softie like this. It just wasn't ever something she expected from him.


	25. Shopping Trip

“Okay, Jagiya, let's find the perfect outfit for you,” Yoongi said as he led Ivy into the large store.

“I'm dead serious, Yoongi, you really don't have to do this at all,” Ivy said as she glanced around at the expensive looking store.

“Jagiya, stop. I know I don't have to but I'm going to and you're going to let me so shut it,” Yoongi replied with an eye roll as he approached a worker. “We need to find her an outfit that fits her being back stage at M Countdown.”

“What size should I be looking for?” The worker asked in return.

“As far as I know I'm a large or extra large in Korean sizes but I don't know anything more,” Ivy said with a light embarrassed chuckle.

“Don't worry, I'm sure I can find you something perfect,” The girl smiled brightly before moving to roam the racks for them.

“I know that you're strong and independent and that you can take care of yourself. I really do. I want to be able to do these things for you though. I want to do it because I care about you and because even if you decide that I'm not right for you, I want you to know that I'm happy to take care of you. I will always be here for you. I know that it seems crazy to care so much about you since I haven't known you for very long, but I've been a fan for a couple years now. I learned who you were and I loved every bit of it. When I met you it felt like fate but if I'm not right for you that's fine but I really want to be there for you in anyway that I can,” Yoongi's monologue was very heartfelt and Ivy couldn't help but smile. She could see in his face that it was very difficult for him to say and she really appreciated it. He may have been good at playing cheesy when it wasn't serious, but he definitely was not the type to let himself truly be mushy like that.

“Wait... You've been a fan for a couple years!? I thought you said you only watched a couple of the videos!? How many videos even have Korean subs!?” Ivy yelled backing up so she could stare at him wide eyed.

“Yeah... A couple of years. I didn't want to come off as weird or stalkery and... er... all of your videos have Korean subs... because I requested it from a translator friend...” Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck shyly as he answered her.

“YOU didn't want to come off stalkery!? I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of videos where I come off as the biggest stalker ever!” Ivy yelled as she covered her face and dropped down to a squat.

“Ani! You came off as a sweet fan who really cared. You're one of the few fans on that made it a point to respect our privacy and to ask your own fans to do the same. It was the sweetest thing I had ever actually heard,” Yoongi leaned down and pulled Ivy to her feet just in time for the worker to come back to them to lead them back to the dressing room.

The woman showed off the rack of outfits that she had picked out for Ivy but Yoongi turned the first half down. He said that since the concept for their new comeback was mature and sophisticated with a hint of sexy, that Ivy should match. Ivy could barely contain herself as he gave the little bit of insight into what their comeback would look like. As soon as Ivy brought herself back to the clothes in front of her, she was being shooed into a dressing room with about twelve different dresses.

“Why do I need to try all this on again?” Ivy said as she stepped out in an over the top sparkly gold high-low dress with tank style straps.

“Because I want you to look good, Jagiya,” Yoongi said as he shook his head, sending Ivy back into the dressing room.

“Don't you dare think I forgot where our conversation left off!” Ivy said as she quickly changed out of the gold monstrosity to a fluffy blue strapless ruffled mini dress.

“I don't doubt that you remember but I really wish that you wouldn't. It's not exactly something that I want you to worry about. I mean I'm not even sure why it bothers you,” Yoongi said as he caught sight of the ruffles before he did Ivy. “Next.”

“Well, I mean, it's more so that I'm embarrassed. I never thought that you would see those videos and honestly I thought that if you did that you wouldn't understand them. I know that I've put myself out there by putting the videos on the internet but I didn't think that this would ever be an outcome of it,” Ivy admitted before coming out in a beautiful black and white damask printed off the shoulder sundress.

“Well don't worry about that. I never thought you were anything other than charming and your videos have actually been a big comfort to me. Wow,” Yoongi couldn't even think of how to continue his thought when he looked up to see Ivy. She was absolutely breathtaking.

“A comfort? How could I have possibly been a comfort to you?” Ivy said as she looked up shyly at Yoongi.

“You have no idea the affect you have on people do you?” Yoongi asked as he stood to walk over to Ivy.

“What do you even mean by that? And why does everyone keep telling me that?” Ivy shook her head but Yoongi grabbed her face to make her face him.

“You have an amazing ability to make everyone around you feel better not only about the situation they're in but themselves in general. You make everyone you talk to feel like they're the only person in the world that matters to you and it is beautiful. You have helped me when no one else possibly could,” Yoongi said as he brought his lips to Ivy's forehead. “We'll take this dress and throw in anything with a similar style or pattern.”

The worker smiled over at the two and quickly dug through the rack to find similar items to take to the register while Ivy went to change. She quickly threw back on her close and took the dress with them up to the counter. She knew there was no fighting with Yoongi and that she would be taking all these clothes whether she liked it or not. As they exited the store Ivy finally remembered that she needed to tell Yoongi about her newest venture.

“Yoongi? I have something I have to tell you,” Ivy twiddled her thumbs in her lap as the limo began to pull away from the store.

“Jagiya, you can tell me anything, no matter what it is,” Yoongi responded as he reached over to turn Ivy's face towards his.

“Well, I've been officially cast on Running Man,” Ivy said as she tried to look down though Yoongi wouldn't let her.

“You've already told me that before remember?” Yoongi said with a chuckle.

“Well I'm not entirely sure how well you've thought this through. I will be working with Jong Kook on a regular basis and that means I won't be able to just go somewhere at the drop of a hat. I also have to find a company to join so they'll take up some of my time too. I don't think that you've really thought about it Yoongi,” Ivy said as she focused on Yoongi's eyes. She really did love his eyes, single double lid and all.

“I've thought about that, and I would never ask or expect you to not do something because of how I feel. I know that this is your job and I also know that you love your work. Not to mention that I know we're not exclusive. I want us to be but I know that you're not ready to make that decision yet and I'm willing to wait for you to be ready, but I want you to know that I'm here for you too,” Yoongi said as he began to rub his thumbs over Ivy's cheek. “Can we stop with these talks though? I'm starting to lose the bad boy image and I don't think I can live with myself if we keep going on like this.”

“You are the sweetest person I've ever met and I don't understand why you constantly feel the need to have a bad boy image. We all know that you're a softy,” Ivy chuckled as Yoongi leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“I don't act the way I do around you and the guys with anyone I'm not close to. So count yourself lucky that you get to see this corny Min Yoongi,” Ivy laughed at his response before pulling her face out of his hands.

“Yoongi. You could not possibly write the songs or lyrics that you write without knowing that you let people see this side of you all the time,” Ivy shook her head before continuing. “You have a knack for writing the most meaningful lyrics with the most touching melodies and you don't seem to understand that the fans know that it's your soul put to paper. I know that there are some fans that might misinterpret it but it's easy enough to see if you really look at it and listen. You've hurt so much in such a short amount of time on Earth and it hurts everything in my soul to know that. Whether or not we end up together, I love you and care for you and I will always want to make things better for you because you are one of my favorite people. You should let people in more often. You never know, they might actually be able to heal you.”

“And this is exactly what I was talking about earlier,” Yoongi chuckled as he pulled Ivy towards him to wrap his arms around her. “You really know how to make someone feel special.”

“You act like that's strictly my talent. I'm sure there are plenty of other people in the world that are actually better at it than me,” Ivy said with an eye roll.

“The only other people that I have ever seen that have the same kind of ability are Jimin and Jungkook. Sure the rest of the guys know how to help people but Hoseok is more focused on making the atmosphere light, Jin hyung can be a bit selfish at times, Namjoon is too focused on the things that go on inside his own head and the philosophy of why you feel the way you do, and Tae is just a bit on the strange side with how he deals with things. Even Jimin isn't as good at it as Jungkook because he doubts himself all the time. You and Jungkook are probably the best people at making someone their entire world when you talk to them,” Yoongi said with a sigh.

“I think you're forgetting yourself. I mean maybe with other people it's only if you know that they're not going to hurt you but do you know how long it took me to let people in? You have the same talent and yours stretches a much wider audience than mine does. Not that I'm complaining, I mean, I'm perfectly happy knowing that I've managed to touch one person's life and that person being you just makes it a million times better, but there are times that I kind of wish that I could do more for everyone,” Ivy said with a sigh that rivaled the rappers.

“You really are perfect, you know that?” Yoongi said before the limo pulled into the Hotel's parking lot. “Okay well I guess we have to end here for tonight. I'll text you though and I'll see you next week okay?”

“Okay. I'll see you next week,” Ivy stepped out of the limo and waved as it left before hearing a bellboy clear his throat behind her.

“What room am I taking these to?” He asked motioning to the cart filled with bags from her shopping trip with Yoongi.

“Oh don't worry about that I'll take them,” Ivy tried to fight but the bellboy insisted, saying that it was his job. When she finally relented she rode the elevator up to her room and once the bellboy had left she sprawled out on her bed. She replayed the night's conversation over and over in her head but she couldn't seem to understand what it was that Yoongi found so special about her. Before she knew it though, sleep had claimed her and she had sweet dreams of Yoongi holding her in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hey guys! Guess what??? I finally figured out the pairing last night and have actually written the first two chapters of the epilogue! Though I still don't have the rest of the story finished which is weird right? Idk I'm trying here guys lol... As always Thank You for Reading! Kamsamnida!


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